A well-designed, user-friendly manual can be one of a business's most important printed tools. Whether you want to highlight information, outline specific company or job initiatives, or provide training and instruction, a manual should provide insight, data, and information. Here are a few ingenious ways a manual can drive business results.

Empowering employee manuals
Gone are the days when a manual had to be stuffed with book-like content that was a chore to read. Sometimes confused with a visual presentation, a manual is often created with a three-ring binder. Three-ring binders are durable, strong, and can be easily updated.

At its core, a manual is often a reference or a guidebook that provides detailed information intended to inform or instruct. A manual can also be a roadmap to empower employees to do their jobs more productively when designed creatively and effectively. Examples of typical manuals include:

• Safety training: To help employees complete tasks or conduct their jobs based on compliance and code. These training manuals can be designed to be informative, engaging, and fun.
• Employee training manuals/employee handbooks: To educate employees on a specific job, company culture, business expectations, goals, etc. Employee manuals are typically provided for all new hires.
• How-to/Look books: To provide images and descriptions of specific items, including food and beverage menus, food service training, and instructions for creating items.
• Field training: To outline step-by-step instructions in an outdoor or out-of-office environment. Manuals for use outdoors or in harsh conditions should consider durable, laminated, heavyweight paper.
• Design services: To provide high-gloss photos or images to help professionals recreate designs. Builders and landscape architects often use manuals for this purpose.
• Technical direction: To provide detailed instruction related to technical documentation for electronics, IT services, and technology products.

Manuals should advocate for your brand
A company can brand its manuals with images, colors, and logos on the cover, spine, back, and throughout the handbook to complement existing marketing and advertising. Whether you’re putting together a training manual or showcasing services, a manual can act as a brand advocate.

Tell a story by putting together a training manual
A printed manual can also be a way to share your business story or provide a report or update. Annual reports, executive reports, financial reports, and executive communication require straightforward, concise, and well-documented content. A manual provides the foundation for sharing and storing this vital information.

Customize your manual
It’s possible to conveniently and creatively customize your manual with images, fonts, and graphics. FedEx Office professionals can help you with consulting and design for the following:

• Specialty paper and other paper products available online or in-store, such as gloss, matte, and cardstock
• Clear or frosted covers, spine, and back page
• Colorful tabs to categorize sections
• Inserts and pages that can be printed on colored paper to make sections stand out and easy to identify
• Custom printing and binding options, such as comb-bound or coil bound
• Additional options available in-store

For assistance with manual printing, handbook printing, and design, visit your local FedEx Office, and a team member will be happy to consult you. Or, you can use the convenient FedEx Office® Print Online services. FedEx Office can help you create the best manual possible for all of your business needs.