Are there considerations for generating print-ready documents from DITA for government reports and publications?

November 10, 2023
|By Bryan Tipper

When government reports and publications are generated from DITA sources for print, there are specific considerations to ensure the documents meet the high standards required for official printed material.

Print Formatting and Layout

Print-ready documents require precise control over formatting and layout. This includes considerations for margins, headers, footers, page numbers, and the inclusion of high-resolution images. DITA provides the capability to specify these elements in detail through attributes and processing instructions, which the DITA Open Toolkit can then use to produce print-ready PDFs.

Quality Assurance

For official government publications, the accuracy and presentation of printed documents are paramount. DITA’s profiling and filtering features enable the creation of content for specific audiences or purposes while maintaining a single source. Before printing, a thorough review process ensures that only the most relevant and accurate information is included, and that it is presented in an accessible and professional manner.

Example

The following is an example of DITA markup for a government report designed for print:


<topic id="annual-budget-report">
  <title>Annual Budget Report</title>
  <body>
    <section>
      <title>Executive Summary</title>
      <p>Summary of the year's budget allocations and expenditures.</p>
    </section>
    <section>
      <title>Detailed Financial Statements</title>
      <p>Detailed accounts of financial activities.</p>
    </section>
    <section>
      <title>Appendices</title>
      <p>Supplementary information including statistical data and methodology.</p>
    </section>
  </body>
</topic>

In this example, the DITA topic is structured to include sections that are common in government reports, such as an executive summary and detailed financial statements. The DITA Open Toolkit would process this markup to create a print-ready document, ensuring that the layout and formatting meet the necessary standards for official publications.