1. On CD-ROM projects, decide upfront the target computer system. Do you need the disc to play on five year old computers? Both Macs and Windows?
   
   
2. Custom sized and shaped CD-ROMs will not play in many Mac computers because they require a tray CD-ROM player. iMacs and others with slots for CDs cannot play them.
   
   
3. Avoid installing software onto the user's computer if possible -- people are skittish about files being copied onto their machines. This is less so if the CD-ROM is something they purchased.
   
   
4. Tip #3 means being conservative with video formats. The latest Windows Media, Real Media and Quicktime offer outstanding quality, but require updates to the user's system.
   
   
5. Always test your CD on a computer that represents your lowest common denominator.
   
   
6. Developing hybrid Mac/Windows CDs will cost approximately 30 percent more than just developing for one platform.
   
   
7. Acrobat and HTML are handy, cost-effective ways to develop content for CD-ROM.
   
   
8. CD-ROM catalogs can hold more and show more (video etc.) than print catalogs -- and they cost a fraction of the price to mail.
   
   
9. Flash has grown from being an animation program to a full-fledged multimedia authoring tool. It's not just for the web.
   
   
10. Color is important, but accept the reality that no two computers will show color the same. If you bought 10 identical Dell computers and gave them to 10 individuals, and brought them together a month later, the same web page would look slightly different on each of them.