Case Study

Challenge

With the market for eBooks on the rise, the client looked for practical and cost-effective methods for converting titles with rich imagery and elaborate layout into digital formats. However, producing pixel-perfect digital replicas from complex print layouts asks for highly knowledgeable and experienced eBook developers. So, instead of getting carried away by the digital rush, our client took its time, determined to finding a partner who could effectively convert its heavily designed and illustrated books to fixed-layout eBook format without sacrificing the quality.

Solution

Transforming highly visual titles into fixed layout EPUB necessitates proper on-screen context and page flow to progress the narrative as effectually as the print version, irrespective of the screen resolution or display size of tablets and eReaders.

With its extensive experience in ePublishing and reproduction of complex graphical content, SunTec Digital was not only able to meet, but also exceed sometimes, the client's rigorous quality requirements pertaining to children's books, comics, illustrated textbooks, cookbooks, travel guides, and art books.

A superhero book, for instance, contained 183 print pages in rich colors, intricate page designs and layouts with elaborately styled fonts, multicolumn text, and headings marking the opening of each chapter, and with over 264 graphic images, enhanced art, photography and illustrations.

The client provided the source files in QuarkXPresss and InDesign, accompanied by the supporting font files, and print PDFs.

To make the most of the accessibility and usability features of fixed-layout content, SunTec Digital's production team transformed the titles in fixed-layout format using HTML5 and EPUB3, in combination with CSS absolute positioning. This helped in maintaining the logical reading order in accordance with the order of elements in the document, and the precise order in which those elements display on-screen.

• Synchronized textual content and audio with media overlays for smooth read aloud narration – text highlighting, and background music
• Embedded videos and audios
• Incorporated interactivity via JavaScript
• Developed an automated process to match and check the quality of the converted documents against the source files
• We ensured that we met the retailer standards for Apple, Google Play Books, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo. To provide concordance between IDPF metadata and kf8 metadata for fixed layout, we used a different set of metadata for amazon Kindle Format 8 (KF8) by adding the configuration metadata values to the package file, defining all page and layout parameters, like fixed layout, original resolution, orientation lock, book type, region magnification, etc.

Result

SunTec Digital delivered the first batch of fixed layout eBooks in both the EPUB and KF8 formats. Thrilled with the success of the opening delivery of its best-selling books that stay true to their original design, preserving the text, images and complex layouts, with rich addition of read-aloud, media, and interactivity, the client continues to produce eBooks with SunTec Digital. The books are sold through all the major eBook retailers.

The client has since engaged SunTec Digital for several of its app requirements like book-as-an-app, eBook reader & store apps, mobile & smart learning apps, and other customized mobile apps.

Connect with SunTec Digital!

Looking to make the transition from print to digital to mobile learning? SunTec Digital can help you make the move – smoothly, quickly and cost effectively. To find out more about our eLearning solutions and services, kindly write-in to us at info@suntecdigital.com and we shall get back to you at the earliest.