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The one I REALLY HATE is the paper orientation icon on printer paper trays. Ones like these: https://static.thenounproject.com/png/4256363-200.png https://stat

by dheera 3y ago

The one I REALLY HATE is the paper orientation icon on printer paper trays. Ones like these: https://static.thenounproject.com/png/4256363-200.png https://static.thenounproject.com/png/4256363-200.png Do the lines on the paper mean "insert the side that already has writing face up, and the side that is blank face down" OR "these lines represent what will happen after you print but they're just being represented here for your imagination purposes even though they aren't there yet so you should really put the blank side up even though we are drawing lines on the up side"

Dwedit 3y ago
I think it's pretty clear, the fold indicates what should be the top side of the page, and the lines indicate it wants printed side up.
- dheera 3y ago
  > what it wants printed That's the part that isn't clear. How do I know that the lines don't indicate "what is already printed" and the blank side indicates "the blank canvas that it wants as input"?
- aendruk 3y ago
  If you put the printed side up, the next print will be superimposed and make gibberish.
Turing_Machine 3y ago
Likewise the indication (if any) on a sheet-fed scanner tray that tells you whether to put the paper in face up or face down. I've taken to just writing instructions to myself on that type of thing with a sharpie, using actual text, and/or an actual diagram. It works well with the usual beige plastic. If it's black, I usually put it on a small piece of paper and tape it somewhere it won't interfere with the operation. Not everything has to be an icon. IMO, bad icons are far worse than no icons.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- SoftTalker 3y ago
  > bad icons are far worse than no icons Yes. Cars used to have words like "OIL" or "TEMP" or "BRAKE" or "SEAT BELT" in the dashboad warning lights. That switched to icons, probably as a cost-savings so they could use the same parts worldwide. But at a cost in clarity. Now that most new car dashboards have programmable LCD displays or at least a message area, better/more descriptive fault descriptions have returned.
  - dheera 3y ago
    They also picked really bad designs for the icons. The flat tire warning looks like a boiling cauldron. Even I could have designed a 10X better icon.
    - Ancapistani 3y ago
      I’ve always thought it looked… well, obscene.
floxy 3y ago
>"insert the side that already has writing face up, and the side that is blank face down" More odd that it would be on a printer, but for a scanner, it is telling you that it will scan the side that is face up. For a printer, I'd be willing to be that icon is telling you that it is going to print on the face-up side.
- dheera 3y ago
  on that note Google Meet is also confusing in a similar way https://i.imgur.com/H66aXTU.png https://i.imgur.com/H66aXTU.png The "phone down hang up" button means press to get what is pictured The "crossed out mic" button means press to get the opposite of what is pictured
TeMPOraL 3y ago
Oh, printers, inexhaustible source of fun. My approach for over a decade now has been, before any "manual duplex" printing, to start by marking the top page in the tray with a little arrow pointing upwards, drawn with pencil or pen, in the bottom right corner of the page. I'd then print one page (and/or print a test page), and check the position of the arrow, to learn how the particular printer behaves. To date, I've probably seen every possible orientation of the arrow on the output. Some printers do insane things to paper.

by dheera 3y ago

Dwedit 3y ago

I think it's pretty clear, the fold indicates what should be the top side of the page, and the lines indicate it wants printed side up.

dheera 3y ago
> what it wants printed That's the part that isn't clear. How do I know that the lines don't indicate "what is already printed" and the blank side indicates "the blank canvas that it wants as input"?
aendruk 3y ago
If you put the printed side up, the next print will be superimposed and make gibberish.

Turing_Machine 3y ago

Likewise the indication (if any) on a sheet-fed scanner tray that tells you whether to put the paper in face up or face down. I've taken to just writing instructions to myself on that type of thing with a sharpie, using actual text, and/or an actual diagram. It works well with the usual beige plastic. If it's black, I usually put it on a small piece of paper and tape it somewhere it won't interfere with the operation. Not everything has to be an icon. IMO, bad icons are far worse than no icons.

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
SoftTalker 3y ago
> bad icons are far worse than no icons Yes. Cars used to have words like "OIL" or "TEMP" or "BRAKE" or "SEAT BELT" in the dashboad warning lights. That switched to icons, probably as a cost-savings so they could use the same parts worldwide. But at a cost in clarity. Now that most new car dashboards have programmable LCD displays or at least a message area, better/more descriptive fault descriptions have returned.
- dheera 3y ago
  They also picked really bad designs for the icons. The flat tire warning looks like a boiling cauldron. Even I could have designed a 10X better icon.
  - Ancapistani 3y ago
    I’ve always thought it looked… well, obscene.

floxy 3y ago

>"insert the side that already has writing face up, and the side that is blank face down" More odd that it would be on a printer, but for a scanner, it is telling you that it will scan the side that is face up. For a printer, I'd be willing to be that icon is telling you that it is going to print on the face-up side.

dheera 3y ago
on that note Google Meet is also confusing in a similar way https://i.imgur.com/H66aXTU.png https://i.imgur.com/H66aXTU.png The "phone down hang up" button means press to get what is pictured The "crossed out mic" button means press to get the opposite of what is pictured

TeMPOraL 3y ago

Oh, printers, inexhaustible source of fun. My approach for over a decade now has been, before any "manual duplex" printing, to start by marking the top page in the tray with a little arrow pointing upwards, drawn with pencil or pen, in the bottom right corner of the page. I'd then print one page (and/or print a test page), and check the position of the arrow, to learn how the particular printer behaves. To date, I've probably seen every possible orientation of the arrow on the output. Some printers do insane things to paper.