If the tasks required of the authors and designers are listed then there are a number of computer programs which might support my contention that it can all occur with very few personnel. This list is biased towards the Macintosh environment but there are many equivalents also available for the IBM style systems. Consider for instance, Word processing programs to prepare basic textual materials - the content could be delivered either as hard copy or conceivably on floppy disk. The relative costs for distribution are about the same for around 100 pages and may favour the disk in quantities beyond that. Many word processing programs also allow graphics to be inserted into the text, thereby allowing for the presentation of ideas visually with explanations.
Graphics programs can now present the same ideas as multiple overhead transparencies.
Consider MacDraw II which allows a series of layers which can be overlaid on the basic graphic. By distributing the template then the student can manipulate the different levels and hence learn the relationship between the concepts presented. Page layout programs can present relationships between graphics and words, these might be presented by disk or hard copy. The student could return the completed template on disk or more simply just print out the reply pages and return those through the mail or even download them onto a bulletin board. Graphics templates can simplify the layout process for the authors and designers.