# Documentation for `novel` document class

Documentation version: 1.0.10.

User Guide

1. Overview

2. Class Options

3. Metadata, PDF/X

4. Page Layout

5. Choosing Fonts

6. Headers, Footers

7. Text Sizes, Styles

8. Using Images

9. Display, Start Pages;
9. Chapters; Continued Pages;
9. Footnotes, Endotes.

## 3. Metadata, File Data, and PDF/X

The commands described on this page are used only in the Preamble.

These commands write non-printing information to the PDF file. Some of the information is used to identify and classify the file. Other information is read by the printer, to assist it with printing choices.

Unfortunately, some of the terms have slightly different meaning, depending on whether they are used in the context of printing, book distribution, or E-books. To avoid confusion within this documentation I will use different terms when they mean different things. When you are communicating with your printing and distribution service, take care to ensure that your understanding of terminology is what they really mean.

### 3.1 Definition of Terms

This section is more detailed than it needs to be, because my review of various online forums (unrelated to TeX) shows a lot of user confusion.

#### 3.1.1 ISBN Metadata

When you obtain the ISBN for your book, either directly through the issuing agency or via your chosen print service, you will enter ISBN Metadata in an online form. This metadata will go into a database, and identify your printed book in distribution and sales channels. It neither knows nor cares about PDF. (If you were marketing an e-book, instead of print, that would be a different story.)

ISBN Metadata includes title, author(s), subtitle if any, ISBN, other identifying information, and a description. The description is by way of advertising, and can usually be changed later; it need not appear anywhere in your book or PDF file, although some authors might use the description on the book's rear cover or cover flap.

Note: The ISBN refers to your printed book, not to the PDF file. You are not selling copies of the PDF.

#### 3.1.2 Printed Metadata

Printed Metadata refers to the information that can be seen on paper, in expected places: the book cover, the title page, and the copyright page. Whether your book was printed from a PDF file, or by some other method, is not relevant.

Your print service will insist that the title, subtitle (if any), author, and ISBN in these places exactly match what appears in the ISBN database. Of course, you can (and usually will) use styling or images to make the Printed Metadata more attractive than the plain-text ISBN Metadata.

Some print services may object to artwork that is too fancy, on the grounds that it is difficult to discern the title and author. Although this is very unlikely, it is better to ask before committing resources.

#### 3.1.3 File Data (PDF Metadata)

When your PDF file is produced, internal metadata will be automatically created for the benefit of PDF reader software. To avoid confusion, this documentation uses the term "File Data" to mean this internal PDF metadata. You can see some of the File Data when you open the PDF in any reader, and go to File>Properties. To see all of it, you need professional software (such as Adobe Acrobat Pro).

Be sure to read the rules for File Data, below. Some of it is generic, and some is particular to TeX or to the `novel` class.

### 3.2 Rules for File Data

File Data must conform to several specifications, in terms of what you may or may not write. Some of the limitations are imposed by the book distribution industry, which stores information in its databases a certain way.

#### 3.2.1 Required, Prohibited, Optional?

If PDF/X compliance is required, then you must at least set the title in File Data, using the `\SetTitle{}` command. Note that this title is not styled in any way.

Some print services require a minimum amount of file data, particularly title and author, which must match the printed and ISBN metadata for these fields. Other services may require that the book's ISBN number, with something like `_text` added, be used in place of the title (remember that underscore is a special character in LaTeX). Yet other services (for myserious reasons) may require that most or all File Data be omitted! You will have to communicate with your service, and determine their requirements.

Caution: Whether or not you must omit File Data, be sure that any included images are stripped of their own metadata. The procedure is described on Page 8 of this documentation.

Many print services do not care about File Data, one way or the other. Your PDF is passed through production according to its file name, not its internals. In such a case, assume that title and author are required.

#### 3.2.2 Limited to Latin-1?

At least in the USA, your print service may require that File Data be limited to characters in the Latin-1 set. This is because their production and distribution software uses Latin-1 for the database. Note that Latin-1 does not include curly quotes or em dash. You will still be using utf-8 encoding in your document files, but your choice of characters is restricted.

If it were not for the database limitation to Latin-1, you could give your book a Greek or Cyrillic title, because `novel` can do it, and so can the PDF.

You can still use any printable Unicode character in the text of your book, as long as you use fonts with those characters. In `novel` there is no `\maketitle` command, so you may (and should) apply styling to the printed title, even though the File Data title cannot be styled.

#### 3.2.3 TeX escapes

In File Data, you must obey the same TeX rules that apply everywhere: Certain characters have special meaning, and must be preceded by a backslash, if you wish to use them as ordinary characters. These are:

`# $ % & _ { }` (hash, dollar, percent, ampersand, underscore, left and right curly brackets)

Example: The title Doing 9% & Gone is coded: `\SetTitle{Doing 9\% \& Gone}`

The above characters are rarely needed in File Data. Sometimes they must be spelled out, in order to agree with your book's ISBN Metadata. For example, you may need to write "and" rather than the ampersand.

#### 3.2.4 Forbidden Characters

• Do not use the backslash `\` except to escape the above-listed characters.

• Do not use the tilde `~` or the circumflex `^`.

• Do not use TeX code, such as `\`e` for e with grave; instead paste è directly from a character map.

• Do not use styling, such as {\small text}.

You should not need any kind of quotation marks in File Data. But if you do, use ordinary straight quotes, and ensure that your TeX editor does not automatically substitute curly quotes or TeX code as you type it. Use a straight apostrophe if needed, and ensure that a curly apostrophe is not automatically substituted in your TeX editor. Do not use ``` or ```` for left quotes. Do not use two apostrophes for a double quote. Do not use endash or emdash (and do not type multiple hyphens).

### 3.3 File Data Commands

Now that you understand what File Data means, and how it may be written, you can use commands to write it.

#### 3.3.1 \SetTitle{}

If you do not use the `\SetTitle{}` command, or leave it empty or blank, then the resulting PDF cannot comply with PDF/X standards. In very rare cases, that is desirable. Note that this information is not automatically transferred to your book's title page. It will be used as default in certain page heading styles, but you can over-ride it. The information can be retrieved as `\theTitle` anywhere in your document.

#### 3.3.2 \SetAuthor{}

This information is not automatically transferred to your book's title page. It will be used as default in certain page heading styles, but you can over-ride it. The information can be retrieved as `\theAuthor` anywhere in your document.

#### 3.3.3 \SetSubtitle{}

There is no file data for subtitle! The only reason for using this command is if you wish to later retrieve the information as `\theSubtitle` in your document.

#### 3.3.4 Advanced: \SetApplication{} and \SetProducer{}

The Application, also known as CreatorTool, is the program used to create your source document. Text editors, word processors, and page layout programs are the most common Applications (not particular to TeX). The PDF Producer is the program that converts the source document to PDF. In many cases, the Producer is a back-end, directly linked to the Application.

These details are automatically created when you compile your document, without any input from you. However, if you have the need to provide a custom text string for the Application or Producer, these commands will do it.

### 3.4 \SetPDFX[output intent]{compliance standard} and starred version

Commercial printers are very likely to require PDF/X compliance. This ensures that your PDF meets a variety of criteria, by containing those things it must contain, and omitting those things it must not contain. Most perfectly valid PDF files are not PDF/X compliant, simply because they are not intended for commercial printing.

If the `\SetPDFX` command is not used, it is `off` by default. Note that a non-compliant file is not a defective file! It complies with PDF standards, but not PDF/X standards. Some print services insist on PDF/X, and others don't care as long as the fonts are embedded (which they always are).

#### 3.4.1 Compliance Standard

The following choices are available:

`X-1a:2001`

`X-1a:2003`

`X-3:2002`

`X-3:2003`

`off`

The first of these is the one that is most widely accepted in commercial printing. Anything meeting `X-1a:2001` necessarily meets the other standards. If your book involved complicated color artwork, then the correct choice might be crucial. But for a black and white book block, `X-1a:2001` is the preferred choice unless your print service says otherwise.

#### 3.4.2 Output Intent

Unless compliance is `off`, an Output Intent is always required. However, `novel` treats this as an optional argument, because it will automatically use `CGATSTR001` as default Output Intent. Technically the name is CGATS TR 001 (with spaces), and it is known as "US Web Coated SWOP v2" in the U.S.A., where it is the most commonly-accepted Output Intent standard.

Output Intent informs the printer that you "intend" your PDF to be printed according to certain printer capabilities. If you took the trouble to soft-proof your PDF on a color-controlled monitor using color managed software, and if the printer's capabilities actually correspond to the intent, then you can expect that the printed result will closely match what you expected. This is very important in commercial color printing, but nearly irrelevant for a black and white book block. Nevertheless, an Output Intent is required to meet PDF/X compliance.

#### 3.4.3 Built-in Output Intent Codes

There are three pre-defined choices:

`CGATSTR001` (default)

`FOGRA39`

`JC200103`

The first of these, more properly named "CGATS TR 001" with spaces, is also known as "US Web Coated SWOP v2" in the USA, and is the most commonly-used American print standard for this kind of book. The second is widely used in Europe, the third in Japan.

#### 3.4.4 Other Output Intents

If you are required to use an Output Intent that is not one of the above three, then you have to code it yourself. Have a look at the three pre-configured Output Intents (files novel-CGATSTR001.clo, novel-FOGRA39.clo, and -novel-JC200103.clo). Instructions are inside the files. There are several places where you can find the necessary data; the most comprehensive is at www.color.org.

In essence: If you create a custom Output Intent file named novel-MyFunkyPrinter.clo, then you request `MyFunkyPrinter` (without the preceding novel- or the .clo extension) as Output Intent, and that file will be loaded.

#### 3.4.5 Whether or Not to Embed *.icc

Each Output Intent has a corresponding color profile, in the form of a file with extension `*.icc`. You usually do not need it. In fact, unless your print service specifically asks you to embed the file, don't do it. When you use `\SetPDFX` in its un-starred form, the *.icc file will not be embedded.

If your print service demands that you embed the *.icc color profile, then use `\SetPDFX*` (with the asterisk).

Repeat: Do not embed the *.icc color profile unless specifically requested by your print service, for a non-color book block.

If your printer requests "US Web Coated SWOP v2" and, as usual, requests that you not embed the corresponding *.icc color profile, then some software will read the Output Intent as "CGATS TR 001" instead of "US Web Coated SWOP v2". This is compliant. But not everyone knows this.

#### 3.4.6 Where to Find *.icc Files

Although many *.icc files are freely available, they usually cannot be distributed within an open-source project. You might already have them in your system, wherever such files are stored. Note that TeX uses forward slash in file paths, not backslash, even if the platform is Windows:

Windows: `C:/Windows/System32/spool/drivers/color/` [older Windows: system32 instead of System32]
Linux: `/usr/share/color` or hidden `~/.local/share/icc/` or other places
OSX: `/Library/Colorsync/Profiles/` or hidden `(username)/Library/Colorsync/Profiles/`

If you do not have the files, look on the Internet here and here. These links also have many other profiles, beyond the basic three. In a few cases, your print service may provide the necessary file.

You want printer profiles, usually CMYK. Don't worry about the files being "for Windows," as they are actually cross-platform.

If your system has the necessary `*.icc` file for your Output Intent, but `novel` cannot find it, then copy the file to the same folder as your TeX document.

Again: Do not embed the file unless the printer requests it.