Automated page layout provides huge savings on pre-press costs

To get these benefits, layout need be totally automated without any manual rework on the final catalogue.

Manual rework always results in a complicated and expensive production process, and discrepancies between catalogue and source product database, generating further costs.

The Optimized Database Publishing System

Fitting any Template

Abaque's layout system produces optimized layout on complicated page templates, without any manual rework, fully synchronized with product database.
To view sample pages of real-life catalogues produced by Abaque's layout program, please click on the following images (requires Acrobat Reader):

Product characteristics next to Image (950 kb)	Illustrated assemblies and components (500 kb)
Product characteristics below Image (500 kb)	12 Product images per page, copy-proof protected images (1,9 Mo)
Dynamically generated pictograms (660 kb)	Product images and characteristics with right-left alignment according to page parity (680 kb)
Symbols and abbreviations table in 7 languages (350 kb)	Complex table with hyphenation, ten sort and grouping levels, matching products (400 kb)
Assemblies, components and compatible products (380 kb)	Product index with multiple page references (170 kb)
Title heading details (170 kb)	Dynamic height table (260 kb)

No manual rework at all

Abaque designed and developped an automated page layout system processing the catalogue as a whole, from first to last page.

Each catalogue's part is precisely modelled: beginning or end page side, number an width of columns, titles and current lines height, number of notes pages, etc.

Layout program precisely fill pages, knows whether it's a left (even) or right (odd), decides where skip to next column or page to maintain information consistent and readable. Running titles are repeated on following pages, right- or left-aligned according to page side for easier access.
Morover:

• Repeated mentions can be eluded, eventually replaced by a placeholder such as ["] or 'idem'. This simple feature greatly improves catalogue's legibility, client can immediatly identify key differences between two similar products without reviewing all details ;
• Data larger than column is automatically hyphened to following lines ;
• Number of sorting and grouping levels is illimited ;
• Images height, width and resolution is fully taken into account in page layout ;
• Page layout being predictive, cross-reference to other pages can appear anywhere in the catalogue, upward or downward ;

Before actually producing final catalogue, program tallies total number of pages. Fine tuning catalogue parameters allows page occupation optimization, thus printing cost reduction

Click here to view Abaque's layout program log on a real 456-pages catalogue.

Layed-out catalogue requires absolutely no manual rework. If database changes, layout program is simply reexecuted and catalogues exactly matches the new version of data. Database and catalogue remain fully synchronized.