No matter how limited a job we undertake, it nearly always includes composing the manuscript into camera-ready pages. Both type and graphics are placed on the printed page proof. While authors and technical editors may capture computer screen shots for the figures in a book, the compositor is often responsible for processing the final graphics, line art, and screen shots. Sometimes an illustrator is brought on for special line art or cover designs. We produce black-and-white, spot-colour, and four-colour process books, and even high-fidelity colour (using up to seven process colours) is possible.
Proofreading
Page layout requires proofreading. While clients can do their own proofreading, tight schedules usually require that the page compositor works closely with one of our proofreaders. While the client and author review the page proofs for accuracy of content, the proofreader is skilled in the quality details of the book: its spelling, grammar, and adherence to the design specifications. We take proofreading very seriously: Nothing can be more distracting to the reader and embarrassing to the client than a book riddled with typographical errors, missing or mislabelled figures, or cross references and index entries pointing to the wrong pages. The proofreader is the book’s last defence against serious, even costly errors.
Indexing
A good technical book deserves a good index. A professional indexer makes the book a true reference by ensuring the reader can find the information he or she seeks. The quality of a book’s index is often examined by book reviewers and can affect its overall ranking. It is also possible to have the author create the index, sometimes by keying index terms into the manuscript while writing. This index can be used as the final one or as an aid to a professional indexer’s thorough reading of the book.
Translation and Localization
Computer software, hardware, and documentation are increasingly global commodities. Both computer companies and book publishers want to penetrate the international market. Localization is the preferred term to translation, because it emphasizes bringing a product into the milieu of a foreign culture, not just providing a literal translation. This requires a quality linguistic and technical translation of the book, art labels and captions, menus, and help files. We offer localization as an adjunct to our book composition services, depending on the availability of translators for the language required. We specialize in English, Japanese, Spanish, and German localization.
Electronic Media
Book publishing is quickly expanding to include the production of electronic versions for publishing on CD-ROMs, corporate intra-nets, and the Internet. New software tools are expediting the process by enabling us to convert the print publication to an electronic format without having to recreate it from scratch. This reduces costs and permits nearly simultaneous production of both the print and electronic versions.
Every Project is Unique
While we’ve described our services as simply as possible, we realize that each client and project is unique, and we’re eager to tailor our services to the needs of the publisher.
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