Headers are the information and graphics at the top of the page that are not part of the text. Footers are the information and graphics at the bottom of the page. Normally there are two different headers and footers—one for left pages and one for right pages—with different information or graphics. Except for page numbering, the headers and footers will be the same throughout a module.
Headers and footers contain important page control information, which tells readers where they are in the manual and provides other important information about the module they are reading. This is particularly important when manual holders are adding new modules to the manual, or if the manual pages ever get out of order.
The following items and page control information are typically found in headers and footers:
At a minimum, there should be enough information on each sheet (not necessarily each page) to tell readers which manual it came from, where the sheet belonged, and whether it is current or not.
The module number and page number normally appears at the edge of the paper so they can be seen easily when the reader is thumbing the pages. Therefore these numbers should appear on the right on right-hand pages and on the left on left-hand pages. To avoid confusing page numbering with module numbering, it’s a good idea to place one in the header and the other in the footer.
Incidentally, right-hand pages always have odd page numbers and left-hand pages always have even page numbers—this is a universal typographic convention.
Many organizations like to use their logo on manual pages. When deciding where to place it, how big it should be, and whether it should be on all pages or just left or right pages, consider the page spread. A large logo on the top of every page may disrupt the graphic balance of the page and distract the reader’s attention.
Logos can be printed in colour if they are part of the pre-printed shell, or in black and white, either in the shell, or in the text header or footer. One thing to consider is that electronic graphic files are usually quite large and may significantly reduce printing speed on your laser printer. Test the printing speed before you decide to have your word processor print the logo on every page.
Graphic lines or rules are often used to visually separate the headers and footers from the text.
