From paper to digital
Founded in 1996, the company started with end-to-end search engine solutions for the publishing industry. It was a time when the Internet was beginning to be taken more seriously and many publishers were asking the same question: if everything is being published online, how do we digitize content from paper-based publications?
Over time, our clients requested new features, such as publishing tools, content creation, and document conversion. This led to us building customized platforms for publishers in order to help them step-up and embrace the digital future. One thing led to another, and we found ourselves creating content, helping publishers to move their catalogs from the printed page to the web page.
Publishers, who were great at creating printed books, needed technology experts to help them import, organize, and structure their content online. One of the key challenges they faced was taking Word documents (.doc) and converting them to eXtensible Markup Language (XML).
To XML and back again
Developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) in 1998, XML has a standardized format which can easily be read and shared by different software platforms, and even humans. It can also contain metadata and information about the text’s structure, which make it indexable and searchable. Its arrival facilitated the large-scale publishing of e-books.
Initially, there was no automated way of converting .doc files to XML. This resulted in manual, time-consuming conversions which could contain numerous errors. This delay also created a chasm between the availability of new publications in print, and their digital versions online.
Every publisher seemed to have their own XML software. So PublishOne created an universal XML software which could handle full circle conversion, from Word to XML, from XML to HTML, from XML to PDF, from XML to ePub, and back again from XML to Word. This gave publishers the versatility they needed to publish the same content in different formats.
We eventually started to specialize in business and legal information, books containing dense, and complex information. By the mid to late 2000s, many of our clients were looking to digitally transform, and in some cases make the move to online-only.
A customizable solution for every publisher
By 2015, to meet the needs of individual clients, we had multiple versions of our software. It was getting overly complex. So we decided to become a one product company and make the move to the cloud. This involved a complete rebuild, and tough talks with legacy clients to say that only one version of our platform would soon be available. However, it would still be customizable to their needs.
Rather than a piece of proprietary software, our solution became much more accessible. As a single product, our users could customize its implementation – without the need for coding. This made it much easier for publishers to tailor the software to their needs without calling on their IT specialist. It’s open API also made it simple to connect our software with different apps.
Why PublishOne?
If PublishOne’s document conversion capabilities sound familiar, that’s because in recent years, word processing technology has caught up, and caught on, to the importance of document conversion.
Commercially available word processors and text editors like Microsoft Word and Google Docs allow multiple users to collaborate – but do not have the functionality to set parameters and automate workflows on a document as the single source of truth.
PublishOne’s high-level overview is simple and easy to understand. Digging a little deeper, it’s possible to set up workflows and approvals on specific documents, which open in their original applications – such as .docx in Word. The workflows are easily configurable and simple to track. There’s also the option to customize metadata, whether that’s for logistical purposes or for context and content.
XML is media independent, which means there’s no specified formatting. Only in the output channel is the look and feel of the document determined, which is simple to achieve with pre-defined templates. As online content isn’t static, like paper publications, the great thing about templates is that they make it really straightforward to update content and layout in just a few clicks.
From books and journals to professional magazines, PublishOne enables dense digital content to be published and updated simply, frequently, and in multiple formats. It also gives publishers the ability to create content once and published in different locations.
Interested in the power of PublishOne?
Explore our product.
