Over the years I have designed and typeset a wide variety of books including:
Design and Typesetting
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dictionaries
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educational and academic textbooks
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scientific and mathematical books
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language learning
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coffee table art
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family histories
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biographies and autobiographies
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gardening books
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poetry
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fact and quiz books
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fiction
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children's fiction
Languages
I specialize in typesetting multilingual books and dictionaries. Here is a list of some of the languages I have worked with to date: French, Spanish, German, Scots Gaelic, Portuguese, Arabic, Hindi, Mandarin Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Turkish, Romanian, Russian, Japanese, Norwegian and Kurdish.
Many of these titles have combined two or more languages, including left-to-right languages combined with right-to-left, for example, an English-Kurdish dictionary for Oxford University Press.
Data
I am used to receiving data in many different formats, including XML, ICML and Microsoft Word/Excel. Pictures can come to me in almost any format so long as the original pictures are large enough to pass the preflight checks for the printer. I am happy to take the finished book to ebook formats.
I am also an excellent touch typist so happy to take on any keying projects.
Software
Adobe Creative Suite – Currently I am using version Adobe CC 2021 on Mac. However, I keep old versions of InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.
Arbortext 3B2 – I used to work with Arbortext 3B2 a lot for dictionary work, and I still have the software. However most publishers now prefer the InDesign route with the improved XML and ICML options, and allowing them to make corrections in-house for reprints if preferred.
Education
I have worked on a large number of educational textbooks from primary through to specialised scientific university textbooks. This includes the following areas:
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clearing permissions to include pictures, logos, diagrams, text, etc in the school, college and university textbooks.
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taking bespoke photos, creating artwork and supplying in a suitable format for the publisher.
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designing new material for books and teaching resources.