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About the Company

LSC Communications is an American commercial printing company established in 2016 as a result of a corporate spin-off from RR Donnelley and, as of December 2020, a wholly owned subsidiary of Atlas Holdings. Atlas operates a global family of manufacturing, distribution, service, and trading businesses and has worked in the printing and paper industries for decades.

About the Company

LSC Communications is an American commercial printing company established in 2016 as a result of a corporate spin-off from RR Donnelley and, as of December 2020, a fully-owned subsidiary of Atlas Holdings. Atlas operates a global family of manufacturing, distribution, service, and trading businesses and has worked in the printing and paper industries for decades.
ITUniversum developed and supported applications for many of the largest educational publishers in the United States, Canada, and Europe.
About the Users

About the Users

ITUniversum developed and supported applications for many of the largest educational publishers in the United States, Canada, and Europe.
The Challenges
Inefficient collaboration between educational publishers and textbook authors led to fewer published textbooks, revenue loss, and additional operational costs.
Slow textbook creation process


Writing a book from scratch was time-consuming, and using materials from other authors required a complex process of copyright approval.
Authors could not distribute books effectively

Authors were forced to transfer copyrights to publishers who distribute books, reducing their royalties and motivation to create new books.
Financial losses for publishers


The volume of book print runs is based on publishers' experience and production limits which often resulted in excess inventory remaining in publishers' warehouses. At the same time, publishers incurred marketing costs for textbook distribution.
Strict layout requirements for textbooks

All materials created in the system were sent directly to print, which led to very high requirements for PDF layouts of books. Errors in the layout threatened significant losses for the publishing company.
The Challenges
Inefficient collaboration between educational publishers and textbook authors led to fewer published textbooks, revenue loss, and additional operational costs.
Slow textbook creation process

Writing a book from scratch was time-consuming, and using materials from other authors required a complex process of copyright approval.


Authors could not distribute books effectively

Authors were forced to transfer copyrights to publishers who distribute books, reducing their royalties and motivation to create new books.


Financial losses for publishers

The volume of book print runs is based on publishers' experience and production limits which often resulted in excess inventory remaining in publishers' warehouses. At the same time, publishers incurred marketing costs for textbook distribution.


Strict layout requirements for textbooks

All materials created in the system were sent directly to print, which led to very high requirements for PDF layouts of books. Errors in the layout threatened large losses for the publishing company.
The Solutions
The ITUniversum team developed a web portal that included separate interfaces for authors, professors, editors, publishers, printers, and administrators.
Customized print runs

The software allows the authors to order print runs of their textbooks in the exact quantity required for the students from their course.
Cost savings for publishers

This "print on demand" solution solved publishers’ overstocking issues and reduces marketing costs, as the professors distribute the books directly to their students.
Easier creation of textbooks

The system allows authors to create textbooks more easily and efficiently by using other authors' chapters. When a book is sold, royalties are automatically distributed among the authors depending on the content used.
The Solutions
The ITUniversum team developed a web portal that included separate interfaces for authors, professors, editors, publishers, printers, and administrators.
Customized print runs

The software allows the authors to order print runs of their textbooks in the exact quantity required for the students from their course.


Cost savings for publishers

This "print on demand" solution solved publishers’ overstocking issues and reduces marketing costs, as the professors distribute the books directly to their students.


Easier creation of textbooks

The system allows authors to create textbooks more easily and efficiently by using other authors' chapters. When a book is sold, royalties are automatically distributed among the authors depending on the content used.
The Textbook Creation System
We created software that provides the following:

1. Preparing textbooks for industrial printing in full compliance with technical requirements:
  • Choosing binding types.
  • Adjusting indentation, spacing, margins, and color balance.
  • Preparing book spines, text, and pictures for them, depending on the book's thickness.

2. Creating glossaries. The system automatically identifies key concepts in the text and creates links to it.

3. The Reader – a mobile and desktop application – allows reading textbooks in electronic form and provides copy protection and copyright accounting.

4. Integrated digital rights management (DRM) and single sign-on (SSO).

The Textbook Creation System
We created software that provides the following:
  • Preparing textbooks for industrial printing in full compliance with technical requirements:
    • Choosing binding types.
    • Adjusting indentation, spacing, margins, and color balance.
    • Preparing book spines, text, and pictures for them, depending on the book's thickness.
  • Creating glossaries. The system automatically identifies key concepts in the text and creates links to it.
  • The Reader – a mobile and desktop application – allows reading textbooks in electronic form and provides copy protection and copyright accounting.
  • Integrated digital rights management (DRM) and single sign-on (SSO).
Project Technologies

PHP
MySQL
Apache 2
Yii2
PdfLib
Angular 2+
Angularjs
Bootstrap

Project Technologies

PHP
MySQL
Apache 2
Yii2
PdfLib
Angular 2+
Angularjs
Bootstrap

The Results

  • The volume of printed textbook sales increased several-fold
  • Publishers achieved significant profit growth
  • The system is used by the majority of U.S. university publishers
  • Collaboration between authors and publishers significantly improved

The Results

  • The volume of printed textbook sales increased several-fold

  • Publishers achieved significant profit growth
  • The system is used by the majority of U.S. university publishers
  • Collaboration between authors and publishers significantly improved
"LSC has been under contract with ITUniversum since 2013 for development and professional services. ITUniversum has completed dozens of projects for LSC. Many of our projects have been focused on enabling web-to-print applications and have included B2B and B2C applications. Our major focus has been on the creation of custom educational textbooks. The applications have supported the creation of custom material, the associated print manufacturing process, and comprehensive back-end reporting."
Michael Shea
Senior Vice President, LSC Communications
"LSC has been under contract with ITUniversum since 2013 for development and professional services. ITUniversum has completed dozens of projects for LSC. Many of our projects have been focused on enabling web-to-print applications and have included B2B and B2C applications. Our major focus has been on the creation of custom educational textbooks. The applications have supported the creation of custom material, the associated print manufacturing process, and comprehensive back-end reporting."
Michael Shea
Senior Vice President, LSC Communications
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Let us tell you how we can drive your business forward with our custom software solutions.
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