De-typeset

To remove or undo the typesetting of text or other materials, essentially reversing the process of arranging and formatting content for printing or digital display. This often involves extracting the raw textual data from a formatted layout, removing stylistic elements, and returning it to a plain or editable form. This action can be undertaken manually or through automated processes using software that analyzes the layout and attempts to reconstruct the original text. De-typesetting facilitates repurposing, editing, or translating content that has already been typeset. It contrasts with the initial typesetting process, which involves formatting and presentation.

De-typeset meaning with examples

• The publishing house needed to de-typeset the older journals to extract the articles' content for their online archive. They used OCR software to scan the pages and extract the raw text, then went in to correct any formatting or errors that resulted from the initial digitization. The resulting plain text files allowed for easy searching and indexing.
• After the project was cancelled, the graphic designer was asked to de-typeset the mock-up layouts to recover the original copy. He had to remove all the formatting, font styles, and image placements to get the raw text back for reuse on other projects. Unfortunately, this required a fair amount of manual work.
• Due to a technical glitch, the printing company had to de-typeset the latest newsletter's content. They were able to recover the article text by de-typesetting, though they lost all the accompanying images. The de-typesetting process allowed them to make corrections to the text content and re-typeset with the correct visuals.
• The translation agency required all brochures to be de-typeset to facilitate their work. By removing all the page layout and formatting, they created raw text files for the translators. After translating the text, it would then be re-typeset into the appropriate format, language and target format for the project.