Frequently Asked Questions on Digital Publishing
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Q: What are the main features of your product?Our main features of the system include:
Our system is 100% flexible and expandable which means we can offer anything you require for your publication and project and add this to your account. Q: Does your product allow me to embed audio and video files?
Yes. Our servers are housed at Rack Space in London and we offer full multimedia streaming capabilities all around the world.
Q: Does it allow me to customise the controls from a reader’s point of view, i.e. can I create my own look for the toolbar buttons etc. or do I have to use the standard configuration?
Yes this can be done as part of a template redesign or build. You can move the toolbar, resize, add new buttons or images as you require.
Q: Can the features be customised for my purposes or do you provide a standardised product?
We can do both. Simply let us know if you require a customised version or use our standardised system.
Q: Can I create internal links from a contents page?
Yes, this is already part of the system.
Q: Can I link to external web pages?
Yes, you can link to external or internal pages.
Q: Can I link to Word documents, Adobe PDF files, Word, Excel etc...?
Yes you can. Our system does not differentiate between file types and we can link to PDFs, XLS, PPT, TXT, JPG, TIF, EPS or any other file format you can think of. We can link to thousands of external file types of your choosing.
Q: Will it work with all web browsers?Yes. We have tested our system on all major web browsers such as:
As our system is based on Flash technology, the system simply requires a web browser with Flash capability which all, if not most, do have. With this in mind, our system will also work on hand held devices as well. Q: Can it do animated page turns and animated corners?
Yes our system has this built in.
We do have other modes of 'page turning' such "slide show format" and "flat turning".
Q: How easy is your product to use?
Very Easy.
Instructions are not normally needed but we have designed the system to be as intuitive as possible but happy to add on prompts to help the visitor.
Q: Do you provide a set of tools for me to create the catalogue or do I have to do that in another program and then upload it?
There is currently not a facility to enable you to create the catalogues on the fly, however this can be done with our bespoke programming service. To upload the publication to the system, we simply require a high resolution PDF of your file, and we will convert this for you. You only need to design and make the publication.
However, if you are not a designer or do not have time to design up the publication, our in-house graphic design team can get this done over at Michael Associates.
Q: What file formats do you support: pdf, jpg, gif, bmp, swf etc?
When converting the publication, we only require a high resolution PDF file.
We can convert most file types and produce a high resolution PDF for you.
Q: Can you make a demo available to me so that I can see if meets my requirements?
If you have a specific requirement and you would like a prototype, we can do this at a cost.
Q: Can I offer this to my customers?
Yes. We can work behind the scenes or you can refer us the client.
We do offer a reseller package to enable you to sell our service on. There is an annual fee for the reseller service.
Q: Are there any limitations? E.g. Size. Volume of readers.
There are no limits what so ever with publications or on your account.
There is unlimited number of pages, publications, visitors, links, videos, audios etc...
Q: How much experience does your company have in making e-catalogues?
We have built up our system from scratch 5 years ago with a core team of developers here in the UK
We are always looking to improve and enhance our system and work with clients to get the best out for you.
Q: Who are your main customers?
Our Customers range from small sized businesses through to multinational blue chip organisations. Serving over 1 millions pages and still counting, our client base keeps on growing.
We have clients such as Publishers, Universities, Charity Organisations serving both horizontal and vertical markets.
Q: Could you provide me with links to examples of work done by you for other customers so I can see what they look like?Q: Who hosts the catalogue?
We would host all the publications for you, unless you require your own license and dedicated server to fit internally within your IT infrastructure.
Q: I don’t have a website at the moment but once I get one up and running is the catalogue hosted along with my website or do you host it separately?
We host the publication away from the website for improved performance, maintenance and service.
You can host the publication on your website by having a standalone version. The performance and service will then only be determined by your web hosting provider.
Q: Do you gather usage statistics and make them available?
We offer full statistics for both each individual publication.
Q: How is product support delivered? E.g. Email, phone, chat, etc. Between what hours?
Product Support is during our working hours of 9-5.30pm.
Our of hours we deal with email support only.
Q: Does it support multiple languages?Yes our system can support multiple languages for the menu navigation such as:
Q: How much will it cost?
The costs are all based on how many pages and publications you intend to deliver each year. From this we can then work down to fit according to your needs.
As an idea: Per page costs start from £3.80. Video and Audio insertion are £30.00 each. Dedicated License and Dedicated Server: POA Catalogue design: POA Q: What is a digital publication?
Just as the name suggests the publication is digital and online. This innovative, uniquely flexible new product can be used to turn any multi-page document into an e-book, allowing your clients to flick through pages just like a real book. Our Digital Publishing System can be fully customised to meet your needs, and can turn any document into a striking addition to your company’s electronic literature.
Q: How does it work?
The following steps outline the basic work flow of our unique system
Q: How is it different to a normal PDF document?
A normal PDF is a static document; the Digital Publication is an interactive magazine/catalogue/book. Fully customisable to your specifications, you can include many different features. Give your readers the full picture by embedding videos to show much more that the standard snapshots. Embed presentations, hot-link any text or image, to make it easy for your readers to access more information or contact you about what they have just read. Or why not include interactive quizzes or a customer feedback form so your readers can tell you what they think? All this and more is very easily done with out Digital Publishing System.
Q: How easy is the Digital Publication to read?
The Digital Publishing System has been designed to make it simple to navigate and easy read. Features include a contents page with fast links to each section of the document; an easy search facility allowing you to find any text within the book; thumbnails of each page; and a scrolling page bar allowing you to skip to any page you want within the book, all at the click of a button. The Digital Publishing System also has a zoom facility allowing you to view the book in a font size that suits you.
Q: Does the Digital Publishing System require any extra downloads to allow viewers to read it?
No. The Digital Publishing System runs in Flash player which is supported by 98% of web browsers meaning that no plug-ins are needed. The books are also cross-platform compatible, meaning they can be read on mobile hand sets, PDA’s etc.
Q: If the Digital Publishing System is created in Flash it can’t be found by Search Engines, can it?
Search engines are not yet able to read files that are created in Flash. For this reason as part of the Digital Publishing System we provide a search engine friendly version at no extra charge. When the book is found by a web search the viewers will be taken to the search engine friendly version and then have the option to enter the Digital Publication from that page.
Q: I only have a small website; will I have enough memory space for it on my site?
Yes. The file size of the Digital Publication is small and is hosted on our servers. You do not need to worry about web space or bandwidth issues.
Q: Can I send the publication to customers?
Yes you can. You can have the interactive publication converted to offline format for burning onto CD/DVD-ROMs and mailed to customers.
As we give you a web link to direct people to the interactive format, you only need to paste this into your email when directing customers to your brochure/magazine/catalogue etc...
Q: Do you need to work from an existing document?
No, we can create an electronic version for you from scratch. This offers a great degree of flexibility as we can design the whole publication with our unique technology in mind. Whatever you want we can fully customise the Digital Publication to meet your needs.
Q: Is there a limit to the number of pages?
There is no upper limit to the number of pages that can be included in the Digital Publication. As the publication increases in size the contents page and other navigation tools mean it is still easy for readers to use.
Q: Is the format restricted to text documents?
No, not at all, the Digital Publication can be suited for photograph albums and presentations as well as being perfect medium for magazines, catalogues, brochure, newspapers and any type of print medium.
Q: Can I get it to auto-turn?
Yes, the pages can be set to auto-turn automatically for presentations or exhibitions.
This can be set presentation style on a website or as a stand alone version.
Q: How will I know if my customers are reading it?
The Digital Publication includes a free full reporting and statistics package, allowing you to record the number of unique and return viewers, the links that have been followed and many other useful figures.
Q: Will I be able to sell the Digital Publication?
Yes. We can set up the publication so it is password protected to allow a subscription based service.
We have built-in Digital Rights Management Service if required.
Q: Will it have third party advertising on it?
No. The Digital Publication is free from any external banner ads, unless you want it on.
Q: Do you have Digital Magazine Stand facility for the iPhone
Yes we do offer a Digital Magazine Stand for magazines and catalogues. This is currently in development stage but we will be porting this on to the Apple iPhone for even greater portability.
If you are using Michael Associates to print your document and would like to turn the same document into a Digital Publication we offer a 10% discount on the cost of the book. Contact us today for a free quote.
Contact our dedicated Digital Publishing Team:
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UK on 0845 838 6888.
International enquiries +44 (0)870 766 8281
Email us at
