How Computers Make Books explores the elegance of modern digital printing, from how a computer knows where to place ink to reproducing shades of grey and laying out paragraphs on the page. From graphics rendering, search algorithms, and functional programming to indexing and typesetting, the book introduces what is wonderful about computer science.

Open up How Computers Make Books, and you will learn how computers use math and computer science to lay out and produce a book. Explore text, fonts, and means of putting ink onto the page. Dive into the history of typesetting and printing and see how that history informs today's technology for both physical books and eBooks. You will learn the importance of both mathematical calculation and artistic taste and how only a combination of the two leads to beautiful books. By the time you are done reading, you will have a better understanding of how computer science can solve problems and the complex technology that went into every book you own.

About the reader

This book is for everyone—from those clueless but curious about computer science to tech professionals interested in the ingenious solutions created to solve the big problems of printing.

Learn about computer science by exploring the fascinating journey of making this book!

How Computers Make Books. by author and publishing software developer John Whitington, takes readers on a journey through the computer processes needed to create this very book. Each chapter explores the elegance of modern digital printing, from how a computer knows where to place ink to reproducing shades of grey and laying out paragraphs on the page.

From graphics rendering, search algorithms, and functional programming to indexing and typesetting, you will discover:

• How human descriptions translate into computer programs
• How can a computer understand document formatting
• How a program decides where to print ink on a page
• Why computer science is so interesting to computer scientists, and why it might interest you
• ...and much more!

How Computers Make Books introduces what is wonderful about computer science by telling the story of how computers have transformed the ancient art of publishing books.

About the technology

Computers have transformed every industry—even ones as traditional as creating books. If you have ever been mystified about what goes into programming a computer to do practical, familiar tasks, then this book is for you. In it, you will answer interesting questions about human-computer interaction. How do computers represent all the different languages and letters used by humans? How do we compress a book's worth of complex information to be transferred in seconds? And what exactly is a computer program? This book answers all those questions by telling the story of how it was created!