Case Study: Cambridge University Press achieves faster production turnaround and multi‑channel publishing with Aptara

World’s Oldest Publishing House Welcomes 21st-Century Technologies

Cambridge University Press, the world’s oldest printing and publishing house, produces about 2,500 academic and educational titles and 150+ journals annually with distribution in nearly 200 countries. Beginning in 1994, Cambridge needed to modernize production, improve turnaround times, and embrace emerging digital standards like XML and parallel publishing, so it sought a forward-looking vendor to transform its workflows.

Aptara implemented an XML-first workflow and custom XML DTD to convert source files into XML for copyediting, indexing, and multi-channel delivery (print, online, mobile), also producing ONIX metadata at first pages. The partnership grew into global outsourcing and editorial services, a hybrid onshore/offshore production model with 20+ U.S. project managers, and ongoing output of ~480 titles (~200,000 pages) a year—delivering an initial 20% reduction in turnaround time, another 20% reduction in schedules, and adoption of Aptara’s workflow across Cambridge’s onshore operations.

Cambridge University Press