|  Our
customers come to us because they can count on our expertise
and experience in technical writing. Whether
you require a complex works operating and maintenance
manual for an oil installation or simple datasheet
for a power tool, we have the capability to deliver. We write
technical manuals that truly satisfy our
customers’ needs.
When writing a technical document, we make
sure that your requirement is clearly understood and that
all elements of the production cycle are supported. Planning,
information gathering, writing, illustration, editing, printing,
quality control and final delivery are some of the tasks that
we consider when preparing your document.
Technical Documentation Types
 At
Orchid, our technical writers
and illustrators create the following types
of documentation:
Skills and Resources
Our team of technical authors/writers,
technical illustrators, word processing staff, editors
and training specialists have the skills for the most challenging
job.
Our technical illustrators
and graphics operators work in association
with our technical writers to produce graphics,
diagrams and illustrations to support accompanying text. We
use the latest graphics and authoring tools to support our
staff. Our editors and quality assurance checkers ensure that
documents are clear, concise, well structured and conform
to your requirements.
 Text
Origination and Editing
Our technical authors work
with our customers during the planning and requirements stage
to ensure that we have all the source information to create
your document. We also take into account final delivery and
the environment in which the document is to be used.
Our documentation engineers have a wide range
of experience in a variety of industries that includes oil
& gas, water, telecoms, shipping, information technology,
education, manufacturing, retail and construction.
Graphics and Technical Illustration
 Our
Graphics Department utilise the latest software tools to create
graphics that range from complex engineering drawings
to simple line diagrams. As a result, our
technical illustrators provide high
quality illustrative graphics from simple web icons
to complex 3D illustrations and exploded
parts diagrams. Artwork can be created to any size
or resolution; in colour or black and white.
At Orchid, our technical
illustrators work closely with our technical
writers to create illustrations that support the
accompanying text. For more information, see our Technical
Illustration & Graphics page.
Finished Article and Delivery
Quality control is an important
aspect of our work and one that is considered throughout all
stages of the project lifecycle. Therefore, you can be sure
that we will deliver a quality product that meets your requirements.
Technical manuals come in
all shapes and sizes. At Orchid, we take
care to ensure that the finished article is delivered exactly
the way our customers want. We can deliver printed manuals;
provide them electronically by e-mail; on CD-ROM; DVD or DAT
tape.
Our in-house printing facilities mean that we can produce
manuals in full colour, backed-up, punched and any size up
to A3.
Document Maintenance
 Maintenance
is an important part of the technical manual lifecycle. At
Orchid, we specialise in updating and maintaining
documents. Our strict quality control procedures and good
practices ensure the integrity of your documents which are
stored on our secure servers.
Documentation Store
For some customers, we provide and maintain
an online document store. Our customers have secure access
to the latest versions of their documents held on our servers.
Production Software/Tools
Technology is changing at an ever increasing
pace and at Orchid we pride ourselves in
keeping up-to-date with new ideas and techniques. That’s
why we’ve invested in the latest tools that allow our
technical illustrators and technical
authors to produce high quality technical
documentation.
For text production we use tools that range
from Microsoft® Word, Adobe FrameMaker® and QuarkXPress®.
Documents can be produced on specific platforms including
Windows, Apple Mac and Linux. For the information about production
tools used in creating our online help text, please see our
Online
help & Information Systems page.
|
