Calenco: A Modern Alternative to QuarkXPress

A simple and efficient QuarkXPress alternative solution

Many QuarkXPress users tell us about the difficulties in writing complex documents. This interview by How it Works at our client Olea Medical seems interesting to us to share

Marine Pagni Olea Medical presents Calenco: an alternative to QuarkXPress

What software is used to create and format technical documents (notices, user guides)? While many professionals opt for the QuarkXPress PAO software to generate this type of document, today there are alternatives -and simpler access - for non-specialists in publishing tools. Olea Medical develops medical imaging software for diagnostic aid. She is required to publish technical documents in several languages for her clients around the world. It uses Neodoc's Calenco, a web application designed to write, structure, store content, and automatically publish complex documents. Marine Pagni, managing and marketing assistant at Olea Medical, presents Calenco's main features and practical benefits.

Calenco the alternative solution QuarkXPress

CCM:In what context has Olea Medical adopted the tool to assist in the production of Calenco technical documents? Marine Pagni (MP):We use this tool to create user manuals and installation manuals for our software. More specifically, Calenco serves me to create and format the technical documents that are therefore attached to these software.

Calenco features that make the difference

CCM – What are themain applications and featuresof this tool?

MP – Calenco essentially offers two types of applications:

It offers a lot of features, for formatting documents, and offers a lot of flexibility. In particular, it provides an opportunity to generate documents on demand and not from prescribed formats. It's really convenient, to quickly position a logo on a page, choose a color, or select one or more fonts of character. For all questions related to formatting, Calenco was able to meet our different needs. As it proposes layout and formatting of documents, we only have to deal with content.

Calenco a simple tool to handle and use

CCM – Who uses Calenco at Olea Medical?

MP – I'm the only one using this tool. Because of my initial training as a management assistant, it was important to find an alternative to QuarkXpress too complex. So I was specially trained on this NeoDoc Calenco software to be able to use it autonomously. In principle, people who use Calenco are technical writers. Thus, the software was designed for this trade specialty.

Calenco a reliable and safe solution

CCM – How can Calenco be distinguished from other very classic creative tools such as Word or Publisher for example?

MP – Essentially, the speed, technicality and precision that tools like Word do not necessarily offer. This adds a database, a very well designed library, and technical support. For example, as a result of problems with the opening of documents, I was given technical assistance to recover these documents in full. Had I realized these documents in Word, I would most likely have lost them.

Calenco to produce documents in several languages

Then, as part of our activities, we have to write user guides in foreign languages, recently in Korean. Korean has a separate writing, with a very special font. It was possible to generate a document in this language without technical difficulty, which I imagine would not have been the case under Word for example. In fact, whatever the language, Korean, English, or other, there are no differences on the final rendering as I initially have a document corresponding to our graphic charter. Overall, quality and professional fitness are improved. Therefore, Calenco is a pure marketing tool. That's why Calenco stands out.

CCM – From translation to final production, what is the typical production path of Olea Medical's technical document?

MP -It is very simple, since Calenco allows to manage content in different language spaces and offers a ratio of the differences between 2 versions of the same document (adds, modifications, deletions). It is therefore sufficient to export the files concerned (new version in the reference language + differences with the previous one). Then, the translator returns the translated files that are then loaded directly into Calenco. As the style sheet automatically applies, the document is immediately available in the new language. A specific change report allows the translator to reduce translation costs and delays. Finish the multiple versions of the duplicated Word documents in several languages that have always ended up in the wall.

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