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Proposal for Don – Composition & ePublishing
Created: 28th July 2021
Proposal for Composition and ePublishing
Services
Submitted by:
Bhuvnesh Gulati
PHi Business Solutions Limited
8-99, Sector 34A,
Sub-City Centre,
Chandigarh 160022 India
Tel: +1-365-994-9060, +91-981-514-4883
© 2021 PHi Business Solutions Ltd.
Confidential
Proposal for Don – Composition & ePublishing
Company Profile
PHi Business Solutions Limited, is a renowned publishing enabled services provider,
operating from India, USA and Canada and its state-of-the-art production facilities based in
Chandigarh, India. Our domain interests include a comprehensive range of print and electronic
publishing, data digitization & conversion, content creation & management, eLearning and
related services. PHi is part of a US $300 million business group with diversified interests
including IT Services, manufacturing of high-end steel, dairy products, and automotive
components. PHi has a well defined Quality Management Systems (QMS) in place, certified by
DNV GL, Norway.
We have served over 150 big and small customers across the globe in last 20 years. PHi is a one
stop shop solution for all types of content needs. Our language capabilities include English,
Hindi, German, Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Russian, Spanish, French, and Arabic, among others.
Detailed description of our services is as follows:
Pre-press Services: PHi's composition team specializes in layout and make-up for the
complete range of the paper and electronic media. Our composition services include books,
journals, magazines, Comics, newspaper, covers, full service projects, indexing, lettering,
abstracting, copyediting, vector drawings, engineering drawings, and PrinceXML
composition.
Data Digitization & Conversion: PHi offers a comprehensive range of low cost and accurate
data entry, scanning, and OCR services. We can digitize your data from virtually any format
and font with 99.995% accuracy. While 90% of the services providers struggle with text
accuracy, our processes are fully optimized to provide you data that is guaranteed to exceed
your expectations. Our digitization services include: scanning, OCR & OMR, OCR cleanup,
online & offline data entry, data cleansing and data mining, transaction & form processing,
XML/HTML/SGML, DTD/CSS designing, EDGAR conversion, MathType, and LaboStyle/word
processing.
Electronic Publishing: PHi has an expert conversion team that specializes in various e-book
formats. We can convert your document from any file format to any format. Our ePublishing services include: flexible and fixed layout ePubs, interactive and smart ePub3
and HTML5, eBooks as apps, mobi, and mobile applications, PDF eBooks, iBook Author,
complex math eBooks using GeoGebra. etc.
Content Creation & Management: We offer matchless content management services, with
the goal of affordability and impeccable quality. Our copyeditors provide the best-in-class
copyediting on all subjects ranging from STM, education, literature, and law books. Our
content services include: copyediting, abstracting, analysis of financial reports, content
creation and management, and indexing (article and back-of-the-book indexing).
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Proposal for Don – Composition & ePublishing
eLearning: Over the years we have developed expertise in creating and designing
interactive training eLearning content for educators, educational institutions and training
organizations across the globe. Our eLearning division provides unique end-to-end
eLearning solutions. We can make your books more interactive than you think. Our subject
matter experts and designing team design the content from users’ perspective and in turn
simplify learning. Our team is expert in Graphic Designs, Script Writing, Story boarding and
Interactive multimedia.
Translation and Linguistic Services: PHi has a network of excellent in-house and freelance
translators and subject-matter experts. With our language expertise, you can be assured of
the efficient translation of your content at the lowest cost. We specialize in the following
languages: English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Arabic, Spanish, Russian, Norwegian,
Italian, Japanese, and Swedish.
Why PHi?
With over 20 years of experience managing, supporting and delivering content for publishers and
enterprises we have mastered skill-sets that set us apart. Other than the cost benefits here are 5
reasons why you should work with us!
Innovation & Technology
Nearly everything around us is generating data. PHi helps enterprises unify and format the
massive amounts of data innovatively to enhance value and delivery. We deploy technologies
that meet your specific business requirements and seamlessly integrate it across all your
delivery formats. We enrich content and make it better by design!
Scalability and Agility
Content can take many forms and formats and managing the quantum can be challenging.
Distribution in some ways has become disruptive while monetization is still a challenge. Our
SME's, instructional designers, and technologists develop and deploy solutions that achieve
efficient, low-cost production for delivery across multiple formats.
Stakeholder and not Supplier
Each customer has needs and goals that are unique to its ecosystem. We understand that your
content-related needs are dynamic and forever changing. So we become collaborators in your
success and work as a partner and not a vendor! We become stakeholders in your success. PHi
collaborates within your ecosystem to develop integrations that improve user experience and
delivery.
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Proposal for Don – Composition & ePublishing
Security that Accelerates Business
PHi secures data on its servers, devices and in the cloud. We ensure that transient data as it
moves between networks, devices, and storage repositories is secure and safe. We follow
industry best practices in data security and portability.
Industry Recognition
Year after year, business media and analysts recognize PHi for its innovative solutions,
technological superiority and value-added features. We are an ISO 9001:2015 certified
company. We are a member of the prestigious information technology trade body in India,
National Association of Software & Service Companies (NASSCOM). We are also a member of
SEDEX.
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Proposal for Don – Composition & ePublishing
Executive Summary
The proposal is being presented in response to Tender No. DU2021/01 launched by PeterLang on
the 7th July 2021. It is understood that Don, a subsidiary of the PeterLang group is seeking
production partners to provide them with post-editing publishing production services for the
combination of their new titles and new editions. The services being sought are typesetting,
followed by at least three rounds of corrections, ePub conversion, XML conversion, PDF eBooks,
structured word documents, and digitization in rare cases. The total yearly volume of about 600
books (~ 180,000 pages).
PeterLang / Don have provided multiple samples for each of the complexities along with detailed
specifications. It is assumed that the sample documents fairly represent the titles expected for
production, in terms of size and complexity. PHi proposes that if at any stage of production, the
size or the complexity of the work turns out to be significantly different from the sample work
then PHi should be given the opportunity to submit the revised pricing for the affected titles.
We have thoroughly reviewed each of the samples provided taking into account each content
type and complexity category. We have carefully determined our costs and in turn quoted our
best price. Various complexities have been broadly summarized in the next page.
PHi Business Solutions Limited, having worked on several large volume composition and
ePublishing projects over the last 20 years, proposes a dedicated resource model arrangement,
wherein PHi will allocate project managers, typesetters, ePub experts, XML experts, graphic
designers and quality staff to execute the project. In this arrangement, PHi will:
a) Allocate a dedicated team to work only on Don’s tasks which will not be allocated on any
other project.
b) Implement an effective workflow that reduces file management and tracking of Don.
c) Adopt the best technology and practices through the entire lifecycle of the project and
thereby ensure smooth and accurate deliverables.
d) Perform effective knowledge transfer by replicating/translating/transforming exiting
processes.
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Proposal for Don – Composition & ePublishing
Complexity
A - Simple
A+ - Moderate
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Description
Color: Single Color
Column: Single
Design: Simple
Heads: Two Level
Body: Text, Indent Text, Abstract
List: Three Level (Bullet and
Alpha)
Figure: In-line (1/5 )
Box: 1/3
Table: One Third (1/5)
Footnotes
EM, Glossary, Index
FM
Color: Single/ Two Color
Column: Single/Two
Design: Moderate
Heads: Three Level and more
Body: Text, Indent Text, Abstract
List: Three Level (Bullet and
Alpha)
Figure: In-line
Box: 1/3, half and full
Table: 1/3, half and full
Equations: 15-20 %
Computer Programming: 30 %
Footnotes
EM, Glossary, Index
FM
Complexity
Description
Color: Single/ Two /Four Color
Column: Single/Two and Major/Minor column
Design: Complex and Mix Design
Heads: Three Level and more
Body: Text, Indent Text, Abstract
List: Three Level (Bullet and Alpha)
B - Complex
Figure: In-line Floating
Box: 1/3, half and full (Floating elements)
Table: 1/3, half and full (Span Table)
Equations: 50-80 %
Computer Programming: 50-80%
Footnotes
EM, Glossary, Index
FM
Color: Single/ Two /Four Color
Column: Single/Two and Major/Minor column
Design: Highly Complex and Multi-layered Design
Heads: Three Level and more
C - Highly
Complex
Body: Text, Indent Text, Abstract
List: Three Level (Bullet and Alpha)
Figure: In-line Floating
Box: 1/3, half and full (Floating elements)
Table: 1/3, half and full (Multi Span Table)
Equations: 70-100 %
Computer Programming: 70-100%
Footnotes
EM, Glossary, Index
FM
Proposal for Don – Composition & ePublishing
Our Solution - Proposed Workflows
Typesetting (Word to print ready PDF)
It is understood that the Don will provide the manuscript as structured Word documents or any other
format from which the text can easily be copied. The production process for Word to print PDF shall
involve: Typesetting of edited documents in InDesign 
Don  Corrections  Quality certification  Delivery of final Print-ready
PDFs.
Paperless Workflow - Composition
Editorial
Author
Production
Article submission
Review of MS,
images, tables and
other mandatory info
Publisher
Approval for
publication
Assign Author
review task
MS, images,
tables
uploaded on
EM
Yes
Insufficient
info/missing
elements
No
Copy-editing
Submission of
package-Indd,
images, XML,
ePub, Mobi,
PDF
PDF Proofs
Corresponding
Author
Assign copyediting task
Copy-edited
MS
Author
Corrections
?
Assign
composition task
efiles conversion and print
ready PDF
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Typesetting and
artwork
No
Yes
Proposal for Don – Composition & ePublishing
Our typesetting process has following two major stages:
1. Composition: Once the template is approved by the customer and the edited version of the
manuscript is available, the composition work is carried out. If the project has XML first
workflow, the manuscript is tagged and the tags are mapped with their corresponding styles
in InDesign. Once typeset, the articles are thoroughly compared character for character with
the copy-edited manuscript to rule out any errors.
2. Artwork: In case the art is not provided by the customer and we are asked to redraw the
same then the artwork team draws the illustrations following the guidelines. The drawings are
sent to the customer for approval before they are handed over to the composition team.
ePublishing (Conversion from Print ready PDFs to XML and ePub)
Our workflow for XML/HTML/ePub conversion from Print ready PDFs starts with XML conversion
whose output is used as input for HTML/ePub. The process is very sophisticated and involves a great
deal of automation, yet due to customer specific requirements, the process involves a good amount of
manual work as well.
The process entails text extraction from PDF  cleanup of text in a word document  image cropping
and resizing  XML conversion and validation  HTML conversion and CSS coding  embed fonts in
HTML (if required)  ePub conversion and validation  comparison of word and ePub documents to
ensure text accuracy  Quality certification  Delivery.
Our key sub processes are explained in detail below:
Word clean-up: In word document, we replace bold/italic/superscript/subscript/headings
and other key elements and font changes with their corresponding XML tags. The word
document is then saved as TXT with UTF8 mode so that all special characters get their correct
UTF-8 entities.
XML conversion: In this process, we first run a script to apply our standard tags in the word
document to all typographical elements, headings, list and tables etc. which subsequently are
replaced with the appropriate XML codes. The special characters are converted to their
respective hexadecimal entities and the document is saved as a TXT file. The TXT file is
opened in Epsilon editor and all project specific & DTD specific instructions and codes are
applied. Once coding is done, the file is saved as XML and is validated with the DTD. The
validated XML document is then converted to PDF and is compared with the original word
document to ensure the accuracy of the text.
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Proposal for Don – Composition & ePublishing
XML to HTML and ePub conversion: In this process, an XSLT file is designed for the
transformation of the XML document to HTML format. We map all XML tags in the XSLT with
their corresponding HTML tags. We use Oxygen Software for this transformation. Once the
conversion is done, we thoroughly review the file and make necessary corrections. The CSS
document is also created simultaneously by an expert. Once coding is done, we process
images, embed fonts, check layout on browser and make the folder structure as per IDPF
standard. Subsequently the HTML document is validated and ePub is generated.
Capturing fonts, Graphics, Equations and Metadata: For non-Roman languages like Arabic,
Chinese, Russian etc., the relevant fonts have to be embedded in the ePub. Graphics are
optimized per Adobe and client guidelines. Images are usually set at a resolution of 300 DPI. In
case of extensive number of graphics within a single document, the images sometimes have to
be downsized in order to bring the file size down. Metadata that may include elements like
Title, Language, publication edition, keywords etc. is defined in the OPF document. Display
equations (when can’t be represented by text) are usually captured as vector graphics.
Here are some standard guidelines we follow for ePub conversion:
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We perform the ePub conversion and validation in adherence to the ePub 3.0
standard.
In order to make the ePub Apple compliant, we adhere to the Apple iBooks standards.
Final checking and viewing is done in iPad.
We ensure the following while performing ePub conversion:
a) Retain section and chapter breaks, bold and italic formatting, and paragraph
alignment as in input files.
b) Link bibliographic references, figure/image and table call-outs, footnotes/
endnotes, and index entries;
c) Update the copyright pages to change the print ISBN to the eBook ISBN
d) Crop complex tables into images
e) Use the printed cover or marketing cover of the printed book as the cover
image of the ePub files;
f) Parse/validate the ePub files using the ePub Checker;
g) Perform final viewing of ePub files on various ePub readers;
h) Incorporate all other specifications provided
Proposal for Don – Composition & ePublishing
Proposed Workflow – Print PDF to XML, HTML and ePub
Approved PDFs files from
Don
File analysis and resource allocation
Text and image
extraction
XML tag font
changes (auto)
Image cropping
and resizing
Manual XML
tagging
Validation
EQA
PDF to PDF comparison and
corrections
Quality checking by external
quality group
Does
accuracy
meet SLA?
XSLT designing
HTML conversion
Yes
File delivery to Don
ePub conversion and
Validation
PDF to PDF comparison and
corrections
Other quality checks
EQA
Confidential
No
Send error report
to production for
corrections
Proposal for Don – Composition & ePublishing
Quality Control Mechanism
PHi has a comprehensive Quality Management System (QMS), which is ISO 9001-2015 certified by
DNV GL, Norway and covers almost all areas of production processes. An external quality team will
be allocated for the project to ensure that every deliverable goes through a thorough auditing
process before it is delivered to Don.
Quality Checking
PHi will perform the following quality checks to ensure accuracy of the output files:
a. 100% character for character verification of text, styles, equations, tables etc.
b. 100% character for character proofreading of corrections and modifications.
c. PDF to PDF comparison after ePub, XML and HTML conversions.
d. Validation of marked-up documents at all production stages.
e. Certification of accuracy by an external quality group within PHi.
The minimum text accuracy that Don can expect is as follows:
Input
Accuracy
Text
100%
Styles and tagging
99.9%
Quality Audit
Besides the production QA process, PHi has a well established External Quality Assurance process
that covers the process and product audits. The objectives of such audits are to perform Create a QA
over QC process and determine ways to improve effectiveness of the deployed processes. These audits
are performed by External Quality Assurance (EQA) group.
Process Audit: Process Audit (Internal Audit) plan is a part of the PHi’s QA system, which is
prepared by Head - EQA, according to the Service Level Agreement. The various steps involved in
the Process Audit are:
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Prepare Audit Schedule: Head EQA defines the scope covered in each Audit. Project team and
support functions are identified and informed.
Form the Audit Team: The QA team consists of quality executives and members of the EQA
who are well conversant with the defined processes.
Ready Audit Checklist: Audit questionnaires are prepared before the process audits and the
same are used while conducting the audits.
Proposal for Don – Composition & ePublishing
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Determine Compliance: The audit team interviews the representatives from production and
reviews the project’s quality records; determines compliance to the baseline processes and
procedures and makes observations on non-conformities; and solicits feedbacks from the team
and identifies opportunities for improvement.
Audit Report: Head EQA prepare a report to accurately reflect observations and findings and;
Non-conformities identified are communicated through an e-mail to the Project Managers, and
the Senior Management; and Corrective and Preventive actions are taken in collaboration with
the Project Manager.
Product Audit: The Product Audit is planned in the Project Plan of large batches and is conducted
after the Project Manager has signed-off the project (before the Project Release). Product Audit is a
sampling exercise conducted as follows:
1. Randomly select 7% test cases from the production files
a. If all test cases pass, the product (batch) is accepted
b. If 1-25% of test cases do not match with the results, take additional 25% test
cases:
i. If all the test cases pass, then the product is accepted but the errors
found are corrected before batch delivery
ii. If any test case of these 25% fails, the product is rejected and rolled
back to the production team for rework.
c. If greater than 25% of test case do not match, the batch is rejected
2. For rejected work products, the Project Manager decides to get re-work, and
correction.
We assure Don that every file delivered will go through our stringent process quality checking and
auditing. Files will be delivered to Don only after obtaining the quality certificate.
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Proposal for Don – Composition & ePublishing
Capacity and Turn-around-time
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We assure Don that we have the required capacity to take up any volume that Don eventually
decides to assign us, taking in to consideration maximum yearly volume of 600 books. It is
understood that the volume would be evenly spread thought out the year.
We accept the Turn-around-time proposed by Don in the RFP document and ensure that Don we
will allocate the necessary resources to execute the project by the specified deadlines, regardless
of the volume assigned to us.
We will keep a back-up team always ready in the event of anticipated/unanticipated delays.
Information on local holidays and any reshuffling of resources will be shared with Don well in
advance and time extension, if unavoidable, will be sought accordingly.
PHi has 24x7 operations which give our clients the privilege of getting their urgent jobs done
during the weekends as well.
We propose the following delivery times for composition services:
Composition Services
First round
Corrections
round 1
Standard Composition
14-18 days
3 days
2 days
1 day
Composition of Fast-track titles
8-10 days
2 days
2 days
1 day
XML and ePub (after approval of
print proofs)
5 days
PDF eBook (after approval of print
proofs)
2 days
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Corrections
round 2
Corrections
round 3