Reduced revision costs through high formatting quality
In today's world, product information is used by a variety of different audiences for specific purposes. Product documentation created with a word processing program (such as Word or Frame Maker) must therefore be appropriately presented. In addition to classic print media, all information should now be made available through multiple media such as CD-ROM or the web. Product information must also be translated and localized for the international market. However, all preparation processes require that the product data in the original documents be of high quality. Accurate and guideline-compliant formatting is essential for the flexible and repeat use of data in other formats, other media (CD-ROM, web) and for problem-free translation using translation memory systems. One thing is certain: the better the quality of the original data is, the lower the costs and effort for its future use will be. The quality of document formatting is thus of great importance.
FormatChecker – the STAR solution:
FormatChecker is an intelligent and easy-to-operate tool from STAR that lets you review the formatting of your files directly in Microsoft Word and Adobe FrameMaker. FormatChecker helps you standardize document formatting, thus permanently lowering the time required for editing in subsequent publishing and translation phases. Even before the source document is processed, the time required for later publishing work (DTP or prepress) can be better estimated once errors are corrected with FormatChecker. Additional processing costs can be more efficiently calculated and reduced by correcting errors early on. FormatChecker from STAR is available for Microsoft Word 2000 for Windows as well as Adobe FrameMaker 5.5 or higher.
How does FormatChecker work?
FormatChecker can be activated after installation directly through a new icon bar in Word or through its own menu in Adobe FrameMaker. The program searches through the open Word or FrameMaker document for unfavorable formatting and non-typographical characters that can often lead to problems with text and layout creation. These include, for example, unformatted paragraphs or text aligned using spaces or tabs. FormatChecker marks the location of the error and opens a message window containing a description of the error. Additional descriptions and improvement suggestions, as well as a list of detected error types and a formatting quality evaluation, can be displayed on demand. Alternatively, in place of message window-based communication with the user, an automatic review of all documents can be activated.
STAR FormatChecker offers the following key benefits:
Increased compatibility
Increased document leverage
Standardized and optimized formatting
Optimized DTP and prepress processes
Time and cost savings
No error duplication when translating into multiple languages
Increased match rate during automatic pretranslation using translation memory systems (STAR Transit)
Long-term concept for higher formatting quality
For more information, see our FormatChecker flyer.
