# Formats and tools

## Definition

When a company sets out to industrialize **technical writing**, the question of tools comes up immediately. The real issue, though, is the [underlying format](https://docs.redaction-technique.org/en/formats/structured-vs-unstructured-formats/), not the tool.

Many vendors have built proprietary formats that only their own software can edit, locking in a captive market that has to keep paying for upgrades. An **MS Word** or **FrameMaker** file, for example, can only be edited in the tool that created it. Committing to such a format narrows a company's options and can get expensive: every user needs a license — technical writer, occasional contributor, and translator alike.

> **Diagram: A standard format leaves the choice of tool open**
>
> Diagram showing four different tool types, a text editor, open-source software, a graphical tool, and proprietary software, all able to edit the same standard DITA XML format.

*A standard format leaves the choice of tool open.*

## Key principles

Focusing on the format instead opens the door to scalable solutions. An open format — OpenDocument, or **DITA XML** (the only one of the two designed as an industrial format for technical writing) — isn't tied to any single tool, so it can be edited and processed by many. And because the [source format](https://docs.redaction-technique.org/en/tech-writing-process/source-format/) shapes the entire production chain, that choice carries more weight than any tool decision. Structured formats such as **DocBook** and **DITA XML**, governed by a standard XSD schema, can be handled from authoring through publication by a wide range of software, from free text editors to proprietary graphics suites.

## Related articles

- [From document to modular document base](https://docs.redaction-technique.org/en/formats/modular-documentation/)
- [Too complex a document architecture?](https://docs.redaction-technique.org/en/formats/document-architecture-complexity/)
- [DITA XML and XSL-FO tutorials](https://docs.redaction-technique.org/en/tutorials/dita-xml-xsl-fo-tutorials/)

## Related reading

- [From DITA XML to Markdown: lightweight information typing](https://redaction-technique.org/dita-xml-to-markdown-lightweight-information-typing) — how the format choice plays out with open, low-cost tools.

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Source: https://docs.redaction-technique.org/en/costs/formats-and-tools/