GPO’s Move to XML Publishing

By Bob Neubauer

Migrating to XML-based publishing with a new digital technology called XPub is a big change for GPO, which used a proprietary composition system for decades. XPub allows for the creation and publishing of legislative documents using modern fonts that are optimized for screen usage and search engines. It creates responsive HTML files that include metadata.

Hugh Halpern

This is a refreshing change from the traditional format of Congressional documents, which used small type sizes and tight line spacing, and had returns at the end of every line in the plain text display. That format was designed for economy of printing, rather than for readability. XPub makes life easier for customers, as well, by allowing them to provide GPO with content in any format, including digital documents and hard-copy manuscripts.

GPO has already published the nearly 60,000-page United States Code using XPub — and produced it seven months faster than the previous edition. GPO also used XPub to publish the final report and recommendations for the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress under a tight deadline using a modern, user-friendly layout that includes color, graphics, images, and modern fonts. GPO is moving ahead with plans to produce additional publications through XPub, including Congressional bills, resolutions, and amendments; public laws; House and Senate calendars; and eventually the Congressional Record and Federal Register.

“It’s really sped up that workflow,” GPO Director Hugh Halpern says. “It will allow our customers to use easier methods to author this content, but it will also produce better output for both our customers and the public at large.”

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Bob Neubauer Author's page

Bob has served as editor of In-plant Impressions since October of 1994. Prior to that he served for three years as managing editor of Printing Impressions, a commercial printing publication. Mr. Neubauer is very active in the U.S. in-plant industry. He attends all the major in-plant conferences and has visited more than 180 in-plant operations around the world. He has given presentations to numerous in-plant groups in the U.S., Canada and Australia, including the Association of College and University Printers and the In-plant Printing and Mailing Association. He also coordinates the annual In-Print contest, co-sponsored by IPMA and In-plant Impressions.