Desktop Publishing (DTP) is the post-translation process of formatting and adjusting translated files to create a professionally designed document in the target language.
It is typically required for design-heavy file types. Due to factors like text expansion or right-to-left scripts, translated files may require typesetting and formatting once the translation process is completed.
Desktop Publishing typically presents an additional cost and is invoiced as a separate line item. For easy budgeting, Smartling allows you to include the cost for Desktop Publishing in your cost estimates.
Desktop Publishing rates per page
Unlike the cost for translation and editing work, which is commonly calculated on a per-word basis, DTP typically has a rate per page.
To get an indication of the total DTP cost for a document per locale, the total page count of the document then needs to be multiplied by the DTP pricing rate per page.
Total number of pages ✖ DTP rate per page = Total DTP cost (per locale)Example
For example, if your document has 20 pages, and your DTP vendor offers a rate of $6.50 per page, the following calculation applies for each target locale:
20 total pages x $6.50 = $130 total estimated DTP cost per target locale
Calculating the rate per page based on hourly rates
Some DTP vendors may provide hourly DTP rates instead of a rate per page. In that case, it is easy to determine the rate per page, based on the average number of pages that can be processed per hour.
If your DTP vendor provides hourly rates, use the following formula to determine the DTP rate per page:
Hourly DTP rate ➗ average number of pages processed per hour = DTP rate per page
DTP cost estimates in Smartling
Smartling allows you to automate the calculation of DTP cost estimates, provided that all prerequisites are met.
To do so, Smartling automatically determines the page count for any supported file types, and multiplies it with your vendor's DTP rate per page.
Supported file formats
DTP cost estimates are supported for the following file formats:
- DOCX (Microsoft Word)
- PDF (Portable Document Format)
- IDML (InDesign Markup Language)
- INDD (Adobe InDesign Documents)
- PPTX (Microsoft PowerPoint)
Smartling takes into account the total page count of each file - even if parts of a page, or entire pages, are excluded manually from translation. However, for Microsoft PowerPoint files (PPTX), hidden slides are excluded from the page count if the relevant file directive is applied upon upload to Smartling to exclude hidden slides from translation.
Setting up DTP rates for cost estimates
To include Desktop Publishing work in your cost estimates, follow these steps:
Step 1: Create a DTP workflow
Create a dedicated DTP workflow, which should be used whenever files require Desktop Publishing.
- For easy identification, indicate in the workflow name that it will be used for DTP.
- Set up your preferred translation provider, and any editing or revision steps as needed.
- We recommend carrying out any revision steps before the Desktop Publishing step. Desktop Publishing should generally be the last step in a workflow before the Published step.
- For the step in the workflow where DTP is carried out, ensure to select the workflow step type “Desktop Publishing”. If any other workflow step type is selected instead of Desktop Publishing (e.g. a Hold step), DTP cost estimates will not be supported.
Example:
Tip: Ensure that your DTP vendor has been given access to the Desktop Publishing step of the workflow.
Step 2: Add DTP rates to your vendor's rate card
Add the DTP rates per page, as agreed upon with your vendor.
Note: If DTP is carried out by Smartling Language Services, you do not need to complete this step, as the DTP rates are added automatically.
- From the Team tab of your Smartling dashboard, navigate to the user or agency profile of your DTP vendor.
- Click into the "Rates" tab in the vendor's profile and add or edit the vendor's rate card for each locale.
- Add the rate per page for Desktop Publishing:
Select the rate type "per page" from the drop-down and then enter the vendor's DTP rate per page (e.g., $6.50 per page).
How to get a DTP cost estimate for your job
Once a file using one of the supported file formats is uploaded to a Smartling job, the page count is determined automatically. Based on your vendor's pricing rate per page, a cost estimate for the DTP work is included in the job’s overall cost estimate. Please see our prerequisites to check all requirements.
Follow these steps to get a DTP cost estimate:
Step 1: Create a new job
Create a new translation job in your Files project for the file(s) that will require Desktop Publishing.
- From the Jobs tab in your project, click Request Translation.
- Upload the files(s) and fill in all job details.
Info: DTP cost estimates are only available for new jobs, which have never been authorized before.
Step 2: Select the DTP workflow
Select the dedicated DTP workflow for all target locales requiring DTP.
Info: The estimated cost for Desktop Publishing will only be included if all content for at least one target locale is currently in a workflow that contains a Desktop Publishing step.
The estimate summary in the authorization dialog will now display the total estimated page count for all qualifying DTP files in the job, across all target locales in the job that are using a DTP workflow.* The total estimated cost will include the estimated DTP cost for all languages with a Desktop Publishing step in their workflow, for all supported DTP files in the job.
* For certain file types, this calculation may take several minutes. Please see Step 3 for more information.
[Optional] Step 3: Save the job for later
It may take several minutes for the DTP cost estimate to be calculated, depending on the file type included in the job. This is typically the case for INDD files, as well as some PDF and DOCX files. Therefore, the estimate summary in the authorization dialog may not include the estimated page count and DTP cost right away.
While the page count is still being calculated, the following message will be displayed:
We recommend saving the job for later, and waiting for a few minutes until the estimate has been fully calculated.
Step 4: Create or refresh the estimate
Once the job has been created and saved for later:
- Wait until the estimated page count and DTP costs are available, which may take several minutes.
- To view a complete estimate including page counts and DTP costs, create or refresh the cost estimate.
Step 5: Check the DTP estimate
- The Totals card on the job details page displays the total number of pages in supported files, across all target locales using a DTP workflow.
- From the Estimate Details tab of your job, expand the estimate summary for a cost breakdown by language.
Here, you can view the estimated total page count and DTP cost for each target locale.
Example:
Step 6: Authorize the job
Once you would like to proceed, authorize the job into the DTP workflow to kick off the translation and DTP work.
The estimate summary in the authorization dialog will now display the total estimated page count for all qualifying DTP files in the job, across all target locales in the job that are using a DTP workflow. The total estimated cost will include the estimated DTP cost for all languages with a Desktop Publishing step in their workflow, for all supported DTP files in the job.
Prerequisites
Desktop Publishing is only included in the cost estimate if a translation job fulfills the following criteria:
- For at least one target locale, all content in the job has to be in a workflow with a Desktop Publishing step. If other target locales in the same job do not use a DTP workflow (i.e. their workflow doesn't have a Desktop Publishing step), the DTP cost will not be calculated for those locales.
- The job needs to contain supported DTP file types.
- The DTP page count and cost estimate are only available for new jobs, which have never been authorized before. If new content is added to an existing DTP job, the DTP cost will not be recalculated.
This also applies when a new target locale or a new file is added to a job that has already been authorized. The DTP cost will not be re-estimated in this case.
Minimum charge for DTP
If you are using a DTP workflow managed by Smartling Language Services, the minimum charge is 5 pages per job. If a job contains fewer than 5 pages for DTP, the estimate will automatically be rounded up to 5 pages. The page count is calculated based on the total number of pages in the job across all target locales.
For example, if a job contains one source file for English → Spanish translation, the estimate line item for Spanish DTP will show the cost for that single page. However, the total job estimate will be rounded up to the charge for 5 pages, since that is the minimum.