The Mac
is Not A Typewriter
If you use a Macintosh or any other computer for layout and want to unlearn typewriting, or polish
your skills in DTP, buy The
Mac is Not A Typewriter. |
Hands up anyone who knows what the difference is between a hyphenation dash and an em
dash? Now, what do we use in our word processors in place of an underline to emphasise text?
How would you type the word resume with accents? One last try, which is better, a couple of spaces or
a tab mark for indenting a paragraph?
The answers to these and other questions should be on the lips of all Macintosh (and Windows) users.
If not, then you'll need The Mac is Not A Typewriter, a style manual for creating professional-level text
on your computer.
The most annoying aspects of a computer-created document are perpetrated by people who have simply transferred
their typewriting skills to a Macintosh or Windows computer.
These nuisances include double spaces after punctuation, words with underlines, text in capitals, spaces
used to indent text, and hyphenation dashes used in place of en or em dashes.
It doesn't help that most programs include functions that imitate a typewriter. It also doesn't help
that what you do on screen usually doesn't look so bad when you print it out.
The problem is that when you don't use a program properly, it takes even more time to achieve similar
effects to those of a typewriter. Just think of all the extra keystrokes required: spaces, returns, or tabs.
The Mac is Not A typewriter is the ideal book to help you learn the differences between what you may
have learned as a typist and what you need to learn to make the best use of your Macintosh. The book is
no longer than an introduction needs to be: it does not try to be a layout or typesetting tutorial and deals
with each subject in an informative yet brief manner.
The book is divided into chapters dealing with a single "typewriter" concept - spacing after punctuation,
quotation marks, dashes, underlining and spacing - then adds general tips on typesetting - leading and line
spacing, using typefaces, and fonts.
Each point is illustrated with pictures, captured screens or sample text. There are blow-by-blow descriptions
of how to achieve each effect just to make sure there's no misunderstanding.
For example, the explanation for typing the word "resume" with accents takes longer to read than it
does to type. But at least, you'll remember next time.
When you think you've learned everything, try the quiz at the end of the book and see how you've fared.
Finally there are two appendices, each of which could be copied and made into a quick reference card.
Appendix A is a summary of the rules contained in the book; Appendix B is a list of special characters and
accent marks for the Macintosh.
The Mac is Not A Typewriter is not a new book - it was first released in 1990. Yet it hasn't dated like
so many other books written for DTPers.
It has held pride of place on my bookshelf, alongside Vincent Steer's Printing Design and Layout, and
Rookledge's International Typefinder. I have used it, referred to it, and advised people to buy it as the
best introductory text for DTP work.
If you use a Macintosh or any other computer for layout and want to unlearn typewriting, or polish your
skills in DTP, buy The Mac is Not A Typewriter.
The Mac
is Not A Typewriter
Robin Williams
Peachpit Press, 1990 $22.95
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