Re: [Usability] Re: [Desktop_architects] Printing dialog and GNOME (Summit mockups)

[Owen Williams <ywwg usa net>]

Why is there a difference between "export" and "save as"?  I can think
of implementation-specific reasons for the separation, but no
user-centric reasons.

Right now there is:

* create word document:  save-as
* create postscript: export
* create pdf: print

I think that changing it to

* create word document: save-as
* create postscript, pdf: export

seems like only going half-way toward fixing the fundamental problem
that if I want to create a different type of document I have to remember
which documents require one action and which documents require a
different action.

owen

On Thu, 2005-12-15 at 16:54 +0000, Ross Burton wrote:
> On Thu, 2005-12-15 at 16:01 +0000, Iain * wrote:
> > I don't know where I'd put a Print to File option, but I'd like it as
> > a seperate entity instead. I'm wondering out loud now, if it could be
> > linked to the other file operations (such as open, save, etc.) ,
> > because its really an operation that results in a file, rather than an
> > operation that operates on the printer. But suggesting that would be
> > something that I'll be shot down in flames for.
> 
> OpenOffice has an Export option, which currently supports PDF and HTML.
> I'd expect generic PostScript to fall happily in there, which is what
> people generally mean when they print to a file.
> 
> The only use-case for 'print to file' I can think of, apart from to work
> around broken applications (where we fix the apps), is when you have
> designed a document and the print shop wants a Postscript file.  For
> this, Export seems sensible.
> 
> Ross
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