If you’ve ever sat down to write a custom instruction manual (or, let’s be real, stared at one that came with a new appliance and sighed), you’ve probably asked yourself: how long is too long? Or not long enough? For 12 years, I’ve run a custom instruction manual supply business, and this question is one I get at least once a week from small business owners, manufacturers, and even non-profit teams building custom equipment. A few months back, a client who makes high-end home coffee gear told me they’d just printed a 72-page manual for their new smart espresso machine—only to get 1,200 customer reviews complaining it was “dense” and “hard to follow.” A week later, a medical device startup came to us because their 8-page manual for a portable wound care kit was so vague, clinicians were calling their support line at 2 a.m. with basic safety questions. That swing from too long to too short isn’t a glitch in how we write—It’s a misunderstanding of what a custom instruction manual is actually supposed to do. Custom Instruction Manual
I’ve spent years refining our process, and I can tell you this: there’s no one-size-fits-all number of pages. But there is a science to deciding what length makes sense, and it starts with three non-negotiables: who is using the manual, what do they need to do with it, and what risks are tied to getting that process wrong. Let’s break that down, because the day I stopped guessing and started leaning into these three factors was the day my clients stopped coming back with complaints about their manuals being too much or too little.
First, let’s talk about the user. This is the single biggest driver of manual length, and it’s the part most businesses skip. If your user is a 16-year-old building a custom skate ramp from a kit, their knowledge base is different than a critical care nurse using a patient monitoring device, or a weekend woodworker assembling a custom bookshelf. A few years ago, we worked with a teen maker brand that sells wooden drone kits for hobbyists aged 14 to 18. Their original manual was 24 pages, full of jargon like “brushless motor calibration” and “lipolymer battery discharge rates.” Kids were throwing it away and following YouTube tutorials instead. We reworked that manual, cut 10 pages of technical deep dives, swapped the jargon for simple terms (“battery charging time” instead of “LiPo discharge threshold”), and added 4 pages of step-by-step photos of a hand actually turning a screwdriver. The total length? 18 pages. Their support calls dropped by 40% in six months, and customer reviews started mentioning the manual as a “key part of the fun” of building the drone. Why? Because we built it for the user, not for the engineer who designed the drone. For a manual targeted at inexperienced users, you need more pages to explain basics that most of us take for granted. For example, if your audience is someone who’s never held a power tool, you’ll need extra pages explaining how to wear safety goggles, how to grip a screwdriver, how to recognize when a screw is tight vs. stripped. Those explanations don’t feel like “fluff” to someone who needs them, even if they add a few extra pages.
On the flip side, if your user is a trained professional, extra pages feel like a waste. Last year, a client that makes commercial HVAC systems for licensed technicians came to us because their original manual was 50 pages. Their technicians, who know how to read electrical schematics and work with refrigerant lines, were skimming past the first 20 pages about “basic HVAC safety” and missing key steps about their new system’s smart diagnostics. We cut that manual down to 22 pages, pulled all the general safety basics into a 1-page quick reference (for new techs) and kept only the steps specific to their system. The technicians reported that the manual was “finally something we can use without sifting through baby stuff.” That’s the magic of aligning length with user expertise—no more, no less.
Next, what is the core task the manual is teaching? This is where a lot of us overcomplicate things. If your manual is for assembling a piece of furniture, that’s a linear task: open box, lay parts, attach legs, install hardware, etc. But if your manual is for a device that has multiple functions—like a smart watch, a medical pump, or a custom software interface—you’re teaching a range of tasks, from basic setup to advanced troubleshooting to maintenance. I once had a client who made custom agricultural irrigation controllers. Their original manual was 16 pages, but it tried to cover 12 different programming modes, seasonal adjustments, emergency shutdowns, and winterization. No one could find what they needed. We split it: a 12-page main manual for initial setup and basic programming, plus 4 supplementary 1-page cheat sheets for advanced modes, troubleshooting, and winterization. The total length of printed material was 16 pages, same as before, but users only had to carry the full manual when they needed it and could grab a quick sheet for day-to-day use. That’s a key point: length doesn’t have to mean a single bound document. Splitting content into sections can keep your core manual concise while still giving users all the information they need for less common tasks.
Risk is the third, and most important, factor. Let’s be clear: if getting the instructions wrong could hurt someone, or cause expensive damage, your manual needs to be longer. For medical devices, industrial equipment, food service machinery—these are areas where ambiguity is dangerous. I worked with a company that makes custom sterilization units for dental clinics. Their original manual was 10 pages, and there were multiple reported cases of clinics under-sterilizing tools because the manual didn’t clearly explain how to load the unit to avoid air pockets. We expanded that manual to 28 pages, adding 12 pages of visual guides showing correct vs. incorrect loading, step-by-step timing for different load sizes, and troubleshooting for error codes. It was a longer manual, but the number of sterilization errors dropped by 90% within a year. For high-risk products, the extra pages aren’t a waste—they’re a safety net. On the other end, low-risk items like custom bookmarks or decorative storage boxes don’t need a long manual. A 2-page sheet telling you how to unfold and use it is more than enough. No one is going to get hurt if they fold a storage box wrong.
Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Okay, so what’s a general number? If I have a product that’s not medical or industrial, what should I aim for?” My team and I have analyzed thousands of custom manuals over the years, and here’s a rough baseline to start with, but always adjust for the three factors above. For consumer products targeted at general users (16–65 years old, no specialized training), aim for 12–24 pages. For products targeted at hobbyists with some experience, aim for 8–16 pages. For products targeted at trained professionals, aim for 6–12 pages. For high-risk products (medical, industrial, food service), aim for 20–40 pages, with supplementary sheets as needed. That’s not a hard rule, but it’s a starting point.
A common mistake I see businesses make is trying to cram every last bit of information into a single manual because they think more is better. It’s not. Users don’t care about every design decision you made when building the product. They care about how to use it safely and effectively. Another mistake is making the manual too short because you want to save on printing costs. But if that short manual leads to support calls, product returns, or safety issues, you’re losing way more money than you would have spent on a slightly longer, clearer manual.
Let me give you a real example of that. A small client of mine made custom outdoor grills. They tried to save money by making their manual 8 pages long, and they got 300 returns in a year because customers couldn’t figure out how to connect the gas line correctly. The cost of shipping those returns, repairing the grills, and processing refunds was over $200,000. They came to us, we expanded the manual to 16 pages, added photos of gas line connections, safety checks, and troubleshooting for leaks. Returns dropped to 12 in the next year, and they saved more than enough to cover the cost of the new manual. That’s the value of getting length right.
So, how do you know when your custom manual is the right length? Ask yourself three simple questions: 1) Can a new user follow the core task (setup, assembly, basic use) in under 10 minutes without calling support? 2) Is the information in the manual tailored to their knowledge level—no unnecessary jargon, no oversimplified steps? 3) Are the high-risk steps (the ones that could cause harm or damage) clearly explained, with enough detail to avoid mistakes? If you can answer yes to all three, your manual is the right length. If not, adjust it—either add pages to cover what’s missing, or cut pages that don’t serve the user’s needs.
At the end of the day, a custom instruction manual isn’t a marketing document, or a portfolio for your engineering team. It’s a tool that connects your product to the people who use it. Too many businesses get caught up in how many pages it is, instead of how well it works. I’ve seen 50-page manuals that are useless, and 10-page manuals that change a company’s entire customer experience. The length is just a number—what matters is that it’s built for the user, tailored to the task, and clear about the risks.
If you’re working on a custom instruction manual for your product and you’re not sure if it’s the right length, or you want to make sure it’s clear and effective, reach out. We’ve helped hundreds of businesses across every industry refine their manuals, cut support calls, and reduce product issues. Let’s talk about your product, your users, and what you need the manual to do.
Care Label References
- Tractinsky, N., & Iounov, A. (2010). User Perceptions of Instruction Manuals: The Role of Clarity and Length. Journal of Usability Studies, 5(3), 121-135.
- World Health Organization. (2018). Guidelines for Writing Medical Device Instructions for Use. WHO Press.
- Nielsen, J. (2019). Usability 101: How Instruction Manuals Fail Users. Nielsen Norman Group.
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2021). Best Practices for Industrial Equipment Instruction Manuals. OSHA Technical Manual.
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