What is Quality Assurance

Desktop publishing (DTP) Frequently asked questions

What is Quality Assurance?

Quality Assurance (QA) is the process of monitoring specific project results to determine if they comply with relevant quality standards, and identifying ways to eliminate causes of unsatisfactory performance.

When checking the layout of the files the QA team apply strict criteria, checking punctuation, headers and footers, titles, numbering and graphics, as well as updating cross-references, tables of contents and indexes, etc.

The standard list for QA check involves these activities:

  • Fonts are correct
  • Size of text is correct
  • Formatting paragraphs
  • Check if alignment is correct
  • Paper size is same
  • Headers and footers (if available) are same
  • Quotation marks are correct
  • Check if bold, italic or underline text is in same place as source
  • Check for double spacing, periods, commas, etc.
  • Check for spaces before commas
  • Check for spaces before periods
  • If there are tables - rows and lines have to be same as source
  • If there are lines - check position and size
  • If there are pictures - must look same as source
  • Check the spaces around pictures (left, right, top, down)
  • Make sure there are no missing period
  • If there are bullets check with original
  • Check for missing parts and sentences
  • Check that links are updated
  • Check for superscripts and Unicode
  • Make sure that graphics are localized
  • Check margins
  • Check SAE J2450 translation quality metric where appropriate


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