Devoted to technical writing and technical writers

Personally, I prefer FrameMaker, however that's not always an option. Word seems to be popular for manuals that are under 100 pages, but productivity starts heading south fast as the manual grows bigger.

Has anyone tried combining Word and MS Publisher? For example, you can write individual chapters in Word, do the page design in Publisher and import the text when ready. I haven't actually done this, by the way. I'm just theorizing out loud.

Do you have any favorite unconventional strategies for creating your user guide or installation manual? Please share!