Frequently Asked Questions

Answers

How do I pay for the service?

The preferred method of payment for all projects is via PayPal or Stripe invoice, which can be paid by credit card with no additional charge to you. PayPal and Stripe provide safe and simple platforms for payment and have the added bonus of automatically providing you with invoices for tax purposes. Payment can also be made by international bank transfer to the company account in New Zealand on request. Please note though that international bank transfers can take some time to go through, so your project may be delayed until payment clears.

Why is the minimum project duration 4 hours per project?

The nature of small projects (<4 hours) is that there is a lot of overhead time required to complete them. While a project may only require 2 hours of actual work, the correspondence about it and revisions can increase this twofold without it being immediately obvious that this has been the case. Short projects also suffer from less averaging of time required for each task and result in tighter timeframes which can be easily broken due to an unexpected complication. In some cases, what is originally thought to be a simple modification can end up taking a significantly longer amount of time. A minimum of 4 hours billed per project ensures that no matter the overhead required for a small project, the time spent on the project is adequately compensated.

I've had a template made, can you provide additional modifications on an ad hoc basis?

Definitely, it's understandable that your needs may change with time or after you've put real data in your new template. You might also want help with putting your content into the template produced for you. Simply enquire with your requirements and a quick estimate can be provided for you. The 4 hour minimum project duration does not apply to this as further modifications are made on an ad hoc basis.

Can you typeset documents in languages besides English?

LaTeX Typesetting will only typeset documents in English. This is because a high quality service and fast turnaround time cannot be achieved for documents in other languages. However, if you have an existing LaTeX document in another language that you wish to modify, this modification can be done regardless of the content in the document, since LaTeX itself is in English.

Why does any payment have to be made up front?

The services provided by LaTeX Typesetting often take significant amounts of time to complete. Charging half the quoted project duration up front ensures that work carried out will not be abandoned without payment and therefore acts as an insurance policy for your intent to carry out your end of the transaction. Likewise, sending code only after payment for the second half ensures no extra time needs to be spent chasing payments.

Can you provide me with a PDF invoice?

Yes, a PDF invoice can be provided on request. Please ask for this during your enquiry.

Can you work on documents that have been created or are to be used with LyX, Sage, Scientific Workplace, Pandoc, Markdown, etc?

LaTeX Typesetting only works with LaTeX/XeLaTeX code intended to be compiled with the standard pdflatex or xelatex engines. This means that if you use another application that uses LaTeX and you require modification of these documents, LaTeX Typesetting will only deal with the standard LaTeX parts of the document and leave the rest alone. No support can be provided for other applications as there are a multitude of applications that utilize LaTeX and the core competency of LaTeX Typesetting is not expertise in these applications. Producing plain LaTeX allows a more efficient, rapid and cheap service that is most likely to be compatible with the widest diversity of workflows.

Do I own the work LaTeX Typesetting carries out for me?

Yes, LaTeX Typesetting reserves no rights for work carried out which has been paid for at the agreed price. You may use templates created for you for any purpose and apply any licence you wish to them. You do not need to attribute the template to LaTeX Typesetting and may remove any mention of the service from the code. Note that if a template modification is carried out for you, the resulting code will be subject to the license of the original template modified. This may have implications for further commercial use and attribution which will be discussed at the enquiry stage.

Can you ensure your code works on Overleaf, or help me set it up there?

Yes, Overleaf.com is a popular way for you to work on your LaTeX code without needing a local installation of LaTeX. LaTeX Typesetting can ensure that your template works on Overleaf following completion of the work. Please make sure to mention this during the enquiry stage so it can be included in your quote.