Design QC - Scribe

Check the following to confirm the quality of a Well-Formed Document Workflow design.

A design created in the WFDW results in a functional template regardless of whether the file will be used for a unique project or as the basis for multiple publications. This checklist is intended to address aspects for interior designs, cover/jacket designs, and e-book designs.

General Checks

ScML

Are ScML style names used correctly and consistently?

Specifications and Output Requirements

Do any design specifications contradict best practices?

Examples: using extreme baseline shift instead of spacing settings; using overrides instead of dedicated styles

Does the design meet the output requirements for the printer or e-book version?

Examples: PDF/X-1a for print; ePub 3 for e-book

Does each style meet the required typographical standards?

Source Materials

If creating a design based on an existing file, have all inconsistencies or errors in the source file been addressed?

Have usage rights been obtained for all materials that need them

Examples: fonts; images

Image Requirements

Are the images placed according to the project’s requirements?

Check image size.

Check image rotation (are rotated images allowed?)

Check image location (top/bottom of pages? encroaching on the text area?)

Check image color/grayscale

Check image cropping

Have image effects been created in the actual image instead of using InDesign features?

Is alt text present and accurate?

Missing Materials

If all content is not present at the time of design, has placeholder content been used?

Are there any notable differences between the design content and the expected final content?

Representative Text

Is the content in the sample representative of the entire project?

Does the content show the worst-case scenario or hardest-use case in the manuscript?

Examples: the longest title or head; the most complex poetry; the most complex equation

If the final content will clash with the design setup, has a strategy been put in place to handle these exceptional circumstances?

Have exceptions and strategies been noted for future reference?

InDesign/PDF Checks

Reference Files and Author Intent

If the print design needs to mimic the design of another publication, has this been achieved?

If the interior design needs to incorporate aspects from a cover image, has this been achieved?

If the source manuscript includes materials that would convey the author’s intent about the desired rendering, has this been incorporated in the design?

File Measurements

Does the file meet the required measurements?

Check the trim size, internal measurements, and bleed.

Paragraph Styles

Has every paragraph style that will appear in the final file been defined, including content that may not yet be present?

Examples: copyright, index, or structure styles

Have all paragraph style options been set up?

Aspects include: font; size and leading; alignment; keep options; hyphenation; indents; spacing; justification; color; language and text direction; ligatures; OpenType features

Spacing

Has all spacing been handled through paragraph style settings, object styles, or parent page setups?

Empty paragraphs should not be used to control spacing.

Does the spacing above and below each paragraph style result in balanced pages?

Is the space above heads greater than or equal to the space below them?

Character Styles

Has every character style that will appear in the final file been defined?

Have paragraph-character style combinations been created to accommodate specialized font needs?

WFDW Typesetting Conventions

Are WFDW typesetting conventions used correctly and applied consistently?

Examples: -alt styles; combo styles

Aesthetics (For Original Designs)

Aesthetic judgments can be based on author instructions, publisher guidelines, the needs of the publication, and other factors. As part of the vetting process and design preparation, the preferences and requirements of the appropriate people and institutions should be established as much as possible.

Font Choice

Is the font easily readable?

Does the font convey the desired tone?

Do the fonts display all characters in use?

If any characters require images to be substituted for them, does the image match the surrounding text?

Are all fonts based in Unicode?

Does the treatment of customized styles accurately convey the content?

Example: Do written language (wl) paragraph styles portray the appropriate meanings?

Example: If formal letters (lt) represent handwritten letters, has an appropriate handwriting font been selected and hyphenation been turned off?

Are any fonts being used for which the rights have not been obtained?

Font Size and Leading

Is the font size appropriate to the tone or genre of the publication?

Content Arrangement and Ornamental Elements

Does the arrangement of content enhance the readability or aesthetic goal of the publication?

Export Considerations

Are there aspects of the design that interfere with the ability of the Scribe Tools to export content?

Check for text on a curved line or path.

Check for text placed as images.

Check for text or figures created as line art within InDesign.

Check for instances multiple overlaying text boxes used to create a visual effect.

Parent Pages

Running Heads and Text Variables

Have all running heads and footers been set up?

Have all text variables been set up?

Will text variables pull the appropriate content?

Examples: -alt variations; text that mixes character styles

Do text variables and parent pages use a consistent and rational naming convention?

If using Scribe Tools for InDesign’s Endnote Page Ranges feature, have the running head boxes been handled per the required setup?

Live Content

Do parent pages contain any content that will need to be retained if exporting archival XML content?

Object Styles

Have object styles been set up for the appropriate shading, border, text wrap, etc.?

Do all object styles use a consistent and rational naming convention?

If objects encroach on the text area, has text wrap been set up?

If text wrap is being used, does this interfere with the vertical alignment of body text?

Can necessary elements be replicated easily in an e-book version?

Example: gradients created in InDesign do not transfer to e-book.

InDesign’s Deeper Features

Have InDesign’s deeper features been used to maximize efficiency?

Features include: nested styles; GREP styles; automated footnotes; clip libraries

If using nested or GREP styles, is the stopping point present in all paragraphs using this style?

Cast-Off and Page Length Requirements

Will this design result in the required page count?

Does this design result in the required amount of text or lines per page?

Tables

Have all tables and cell styles been defined?

Accessibility and Future Uses

Does the design result in a complete typeset that allows for an efficient export of content to create archival .scml and other future products?

Example: Does the design include one major text flow?

Does the design facilitate outputs that will pass accessibility checks?

Aspects include: reading order, alternate text, and metadata

**Note:** Scribe currently does not perform accessibility checks.

Document Preferences

Are the preferences set up properly for the file?

Cover/Jacket Checks

Cover and jacket designs will follow most of the InDesign/PDF checks with an increased focus on strictly aesthetic considerations (at the proper measurements). Following proper ScML usage to create a functional template is often not required.

Acquiring Images

Have images been obtained from royalty-free resources (e.g., Shutterstock, Depositphotos?)

Are the images placed at the appropriate size?

Do the images used fit into the project’s budget?

Jackets

Spine Width

Is the spine set to the appropriate width?

If the spine width is not yet established, how will this number be obtained?

Barcode

Is the barcode available and placed properly?

If unavailable, has a placeholder box been used to indicate its placement?

If a barcode has not been provided, how will it be obtained?

E-book/CSS Checks

Reference Files

If the e-book design needs to mimic the design of a print edition or another publication, has this been achieved?

Device Review

Are there any display or functionality issues?

Review in the following devices or apps: Chrome Readium; iPad; Nook; Kindle

Styles

Has every style that will appear in the final file been defined, including content that may not yet be present

Examples: copyright or index styles

Tables

Are any tables too large to display properly on all devices?

Fonts

If embedded fonts are required, do they display properly?

Are any fonts being used for which the rights have not been obtained?

Do the fonts display all characters in use?

If any characters require images to be substituted for them, does the image match the surrounding text?