GPO Moves Ahead With Modernization Efforts

The U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) has taken another step in its publishing and manufacturing modernization efforts by using XPub, GPO’s digital system for XML-based publishing, to produce the final report and recommendations for the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress.  GPO produced this report under a tight deadline using a modern, user-friendly layout that includes color, graphics, images, and modern fonts.

This report is an example of the capabilities and features GPO’s XPub will be able to offer Congressional committees and Federal agencies. The report will be printed on GPO’s new digital inkjet presses, which are enhancing the agency’s flexibility to meet its customers’ needs for both large and small print jobs.

The report can be accessed at modernizecongress.house.gov/final-report

“Thank you to Chairman Kilmer and the members of the Select Committee for engaging GPO to produce their final report in a modern format. The combination of XPub and our digital inkjet presses to publish this report for the Select Committee is an example of how GPO has moved beyond the decades-old one size fits all printing model,” said GPO Director Hugh Nathanial Halpern.  “Using these digital technologies, GPO now has the flexibility to produce Congressional and agency documents in formats suitable for the 21st century.”

XPub will replace GPO’s more than 30-year-old MicroComp composition system. GPO used XPub to produce the most recent edition of the United States Code seven months faster than the previous edition. GPO has started to transition the production of all routine legislative documents, including the Congressional Record, the Federal Register, Public Laws, Congressional Bills, Statutes at Large, and House and Senate Calendars, to the XPub system. Using XPub, customers can provide GPO with content in any format and get output in flexible print and digital formats.

The Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress was created by a bipartisan vote at the beginning of the 116th Congress. It was tasked with producing recommendations on rules to promote a more modern and efficient Congress including the schedule and calendar; policies to develop the next generation of leaders; staff recruitment, diversity, retention, and compensation and benefits; administrative efficiencies, including purchasing, travel, outside services, and shared administrative staff; technology and innovation; and the work of the House Commission on Congressional Mailing Standards.

Source: GPO