This internationally recognized publishing group releases over 1,000 titles, including eBooks and print editions, annually across academic, STM (Scientific, Technical, and Medical), trade, educational, and illustrated categories. Operating in North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region, they serve global institutional and consumer markets. We have supported this client's operations for over a decade with typesetting and digital pre-press services — a partnership that started with a defined scope and grew as the volume and complexity of their catalog expanded.
The client needed an eBook typesetting service partner who could format raw manuscripts into finished pages at a consistent pace of 25,000–30,000+ composed pages per month, with production volumes frequently exceeding that range during peak publishing cycles.
Every title had to ship in two formats from a single production pipeline: print-ready files meeting PDF/X standards for manufacturing, and structured XML/EPUB3 outputs for digital distribution. The client’s downstream teams in both print and digital channels expected to use these deliverables directly, with no additional eBook conversion or cleanup.
The monthly workload spanned all five genre categories simultaneously:
Each genre carried its own formatting conventions, and the client expected all of them to be followed precisely.
Our team decided to treat each genre as its own workflow while keeping the entire operation unified under a single delivery framework. It allowed us to produce both pre-press and typeset outputs from a single source, absorb volume spikes without compromising deadlines, and maintain visual consistency across hundreds of titles per year
Every title was composed in InDesign using structured paragraphs and character styles that mapped directly to XML tags. This meant that when a title was finalized, we could export both a PDF/X-compliant print file (via automated preflight and export presets in Adobe Acrobat) and a structured XML output in a single pass. The XML output was then transformed into EPUB3 packages using XSLT stylesheets tailored to each genre’s content structure. For genres like illustrated books, where fixed-layout ePub was required instead of reflowable, we maintained separate XSLT configurations that preserved the spatial relationships established in the print layout.
We created genre-specific layout tracks in Adobe InDesign — each with its own master pages, paragraph styles, character styles, and object styles mapped to the client's brand and design templates — with specialized handling for equations, chemical notation, and data-heavy tables composed using MathType and LaTeX workflows. The shared framework underneath — file naming conventions, delivery checklists, QA gates — kept everything moving through the same production rhythm regardless of genre. The framework made it easier for team members to move between genres without the need to relearn the operational process.
Titles with high structural density — nested lists, callout boxes, sidebars, cross-references, multi-level footnotes — that could not be managed with standard templates were handled through page-by-page composition. Figures, tables, and footnotes were placed using structured anchoring methods. We maintained precision control over kerning, tracking, leading, widows/orphans, and hyphenation across all titles, with OpenType features and multilingual typography standards applied where required. While this approach demanded greater upfront precision, it significantly reduced downstream rework.
We locked the style library for every series and imprint (such as heading styles, margins, fonts, color treatment, and spacing rules), stored as InDesign templates, version-controlled, and centrally maintained. When a new volume in an existing series entered production, the compositor worked from the same locked template, regardless of when the previous volume was typeset or by whom. We also deployed ExtendScript/JSX automation scripts for batch audit that checked 15+ style parameters across all titles in a series and flagged any inconsistencies.
Late-stage proofing and revisions were inevitable, so we designed our workflow to contain their impact rather than prevent them. Fixed-layout pages were structured with anchored objects and flexible text frames, so that updates such as new figures, revised tables, or edited paragraphs could be incorporated without disturbing surrounding pages. Each proofreading cycle followed strict version control with automated preflight checks that compared the revised file against the previous proof to identify any unintended layout shifts (text reflow, figure displacement, pagination changes). Revisions were implemented in isolated segments without triggering layout rework across the book.
We maintained cross-trained teams with resources qualified across at least two genre tracks, so that peak demand in one genre could be absorbed by drawing from adjacent teams without a ramp-up period. We used parallel production scheduling to run multiple title pipelines simultaneously rather than sequentially, compressing overall typesetting and digital pre-press time. Additionally, by automating the repetitive stages of the workflow — batch file setup, style templates, preflight validation, and export generation — we freed up hours for the manual layout work that required expert judgement.
Adobe InDesign (primary composition platform)
MathType / LaTeX Workflows for Equations
Adobe Acrobat for Preflight and Proof Validation
Automated Scripting (ExtendScript/JSX) for Style Consistency and Batch Processing
Our team met the client’s requirement and has continued to perform beyond their expectations for nearly a decade while ensuring zero version drift between print and digital formats for the client’s catalog.
25,000–30,000 Pages
Typeset Monthly Enabling the client to sustain high-volume publishing across all five genres.
98.8% First-Pass
Accuracy Rate Ensuring most titles cleared editorial review in the first proof cycle.
10+ Years of
Partnership Driven by consistent delivery performance and operational scalability.
40% Faster
Overall Turnaround During peak publishing cycles, without compromising typographic accuracy.
If your current production process can’t keep up with peak volume spikes or is struggling with dual-format delivery, it’s time for a smarter framework. Our eBook development company provides a flexible, broad array of ePublishing services, from creating fixed-layout PDFs for Kindles and ePub3 Conversion with AA Compliance to handling custom challenges in client publishing workflows.
Benefit from our years of expertise in handling multi-genre catalogs at scale. We act as an extension of your team, providing professional-grade eBook typesetting services and digital pre-press support that ensures a seamless transition from raw manuscript to finished pages.