GradeMaker eliminated manual typesetting, significantly improved the composition of mathematical notation, and launched a new flagship product thanks to Typefi automated publishing software.
GradeMaker is a web-based tool that enables online exam authoring and publishing.
Originally part of the Stephen Austin Group, a UK-based exam printer and distributor, GradeMaker was acquired in 2023 by AQA, the leading exam board in the UK.
Awarding bodies, universities, and professional development organisations use GradeMaker to produce a wide range of exams, covering subjects like English, maths, physics, and foreign languages. Vocational exams for skilled trades like carpentry and plumbing are also produced using GradeMaker.
Many of these exams are high-stakes, meaning they are required for official certifications, academic qualifications, and entry to higher education institutions. As a result, accuracy and security are crucial.
Print remains the primary channel for distributing these exams, but online is a growing and important channel for many of GradeMaker’s clients.
The challenge: Word to InDesign required tedious manual typesetting
Before integrating with Typefi, GradeMaker’s platform was only able to export exams as Word documents.
As a result, the crucial step of taking the exam content into InDesign for publishing had to be done manually, and this responsibility ultimately fell on GradeMaker’s clients. The clients were forced to employ large, in-house typesetting teams or outsource. In both cases, it was a slow and expensive process.
Additionally, this workflow was very limited in terms of mathematical notation. Equations had to be generated as images for placement in Word files. Once the Word file was produced, the equations couldn’t be edited without going back through the entire process.
As a result, GradeMaker began exploring other options that would enable faster and more efficient exam publishing.
A new publishing workflow with Typefi
Just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, GradeMaker embarked on an ambitious project to eliminate the manual typesetting process.
The goal was to enable instant export of print-ready PDF and INDD files directly from GradeMaker. To achieve this, the files needed to come out of GradeMaker with perfect styling and composition. Typefi was the ideal solution.
Typefi automated publishing software can automatically compose up to 1000 pages per hour in Adobe InDesign using templates. All the styling is built-in to the templates, and the software is 100% accurate.
Additionally, Typefi allows for nearly endless customisation using scripts. Users can also set design rules for things like image placement, tables, maths, and excess white space.
With the combination of these features, GradeMaker was able to achieve its goal.
Automated publishing using Adobe InDesign
Today, GradeMaker uses Typefi to export fully composed exams directly from its platform in PDF and INDD formats. The new workflow is called PrintPrep.
“Typefi is a core part of our PrintPrep service,” said Graham McCann, Head of Software Delivery Assessment Design at GradeMaker. “We wouldn’t be able to offer this service without Typefi.”
With PrintPrep, GradeMaker’s clients can now author within the platform, export their exams, make edits if needed, and then give them directly to students—a massive time and cost saver.
Typefi also makes it easier to publish maths. Using Typefi along with the MathTools InDesign plug-in, GradeMaker can export fully editable equations in InDesign.
While the files coming out of PrintPrep are not always perfect, tweaks are typically minor and can easily be made within the fully-composed InDesign files. GradeMaker works closely with its clients to ensure that best practices are followed in template creation so that output files are as close to print-ready as possible.
Faster online exam publishing and reduced cost
GradeMaker’s web app empowers exam authors with all the tools they need.
Authors can write their exams within the app, export them in various formats using Typefi, and distribute them quickly—whether to a printer or directly to students.
Typefi automated publishing software provides the speed, accuracy, and security GradeMaker’s clients require for high-stakes exams.
“The Typefi team was fantastic to work with,” Graham said. “We couldn’t have achieved our goals without a product like Typefi.”