Imprint

What Imprint does

Imprint (legal entity: imprint Inh. Ilona Külen e.K.) is a German sole proprietorship providing professional book production services to publishing houses, founded by Ilona Külen in 1990 and formally registered in 1993. The firm is headquartered in Zusmarshausen, Bavaria, and operates remotely with a distributed team of approximately 10 specialists located across southern Germany (Ulm to Munich). It generates revenue by selling project-based and modular services — Mathesatz (mathematical/scientific typesetting), Satz/Herstellung (composition and production), Redaktion (editing), Gestaltung/Layout (graphic design), Word-based layout, and EasyCatalog database publishing — directly to publishers on a per-project or per-service basis, with long-term relationships cultivated over more than two decades.

The core technology stack centers on Adobe InDesign and QuarkXPress for print-ready PDF output, supplemented by Illustrator, Photoshop, Microsoft Word (with MathType and the native FE4 equation editor), the EasyCatalog InDesign plugin, and GREP-based pattern automation. The firm's principal technical differentiator is a 20+ year specialization in converting LaTeX (.lyx/.tex) and MathType/Word equation files directly into InDesign/InMath without re-keying formulas, serving publishers of school books, textbooks, learning aids, scientific works, and cookbooks. Supplementary digital offerings include Audio-CDs, interactive PDFs, EPUBs, and apps produced alongside print materials.

The go-to-market model is sales-led and relationship-driven, with no public pricing, no intermediaries, and no external funding. Imprint is a privately held sole proprietorship with no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no external investors. Notable customers include S. Fischer Verlag (Abi-Box study materials) and Südwest Verlag (cookbook projects). Distribution is direct to enterprise publishing clients, primarily within the DACH region (Germany). The firm transitioned to a fully remote operating model around 2020.

Name

Imprint

Legal name

imprint Inh. Ilona Külen e.K.

Website

https://imprint.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Imprint is a German sole proprietorship providing specialized book production services — including mathematical typesetting, editorial, layout, and database publishing — directly to publishing houses across the DACH region, with a 20+ year track record.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Publishing Production Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Printing (323120)

SIC

Service Industries For The Printing Trade (2790)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAJAJAG

Editorial & Production Services (Copyediting, Proofreading, Formatting, Typesetting)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Publishing (Books, News, Magazines)/Self-Publishing Platforms & Author Services

Keywords

• Book production services
• Mathematical typesetting
• Desktop publishing
• Editorial services
• Publisher production

Headquarters

HQ city

Zusmarshausen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Professional Services – Book Production: imprint charges publishers for book production services on a project or task basis. Services can be booked individually (e.g., math typesetting, layout, editing) or as a complete turnkey package from author sourcing through to print-ready PDF. Revenue is project-based, likely billed per project, per page, or per service module.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

imprint provides end-to-end book production services for publishers, ranging from individual specialist tasks (such as mathematical typesetting, layout, or editorial work) to complete turnkey production from author sourcing through to print-ready PDF. Core offerings include mathematical typesetting (Mathesatz), book composition and production (Satz/Herstellung), editorial services (Redaktion), graphic design and layout (Gestaltung/Layout), editable Word-based typesetting, and EasyCatalog-driven catalog/price list production, supplemented with digital formats (Audio-CDs, interactive PDFs, EPUB, apps).

Product overview

Imprint is a German book production services company serving publishers with a portfolio of integrated service offerings. The core offering is a full-service publishing production pipeline: Buchkonzeption, Autorenfindung und -betreuung, Redaktion/Lektorat, Layout, Satz (with Mathesatz as a named specialty), and Grafikerstellung. The six named service products — Mathesatz, Satz/Herstellung, Redaktion, Gestaltung/Layout, Word, and EasyCatalog — function both as standalone services and as components that can be booked individually or as a complete package. Supplementary digital products include Audio-CDs (e.g., spelling dictations, English listening comprehension), CDs with interactive PDFs, EPUB digital books, and Apps, all produced alongside print materials. The company operates using professional design tools (Adobe InDesign, QuarkXPress, Illustrator, Photoshop) and has evolved from DTP-only roots to a full creative-production house for publishers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mathesatz (Mathematical Typesetting) Specialist mathematical and scientific typesetting for math and physics textbooks, including automated conversion of LaTeX, LyX, and MathType/Word formula editor files into InDesign/InMath without manual re-keying of formulas. Offered to publishers producing math and physics book content.
• Satz/Herstellung (Book Composition and Production) Book composition and production services for publishers using QuarkXPress and InDesign, including GREP-based automation, autonumbering, image handling, and delivery of print-ready PDFs as the final deliverable.
• Redaktion (Editorial Services) Editorial services for publisher book projects covering concept development, author search and management, text and image editing, proofreading, typographic control, and scheduling.
• Gestaltung/Layout (Graphic Design and Layout) Graphic design and layout services for covers, complete book layouts, logos, and print materials using Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign, with emphasis on readability and cost-effective production for publishers.
• Word (Professional Word-based Typesetting) Professional Word-based typesetting offered since 2003 for publishers and educational product teams, producing editable .doc/.docx/.dotm templates with MathType or Word's native equation editor (FE4), with conversion of complex InDesign designs into editable Word layouts.
• EasyCatalog (Database Publishing) Database publishing service using EasyCatalog (InDesign plugin) to automate catalog and price list creation in InDesign directly from Excel or CSV data sources, reducing manual data entry and errors for publishers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20 years of math typesetting experience — eliminates re-keying of formulas from LaTeX, MathType, or Word equation editor sources
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Rudi Warttmann (topset.de / Database Publishing)supportingTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2019Rudi Warttmann from topset.de is a specialist in database publishing and catalog typesetting. While imprint handles template migration, retrograde data capture, and EasyCatalog work, the conception and setup of databases is left to the expert Rudi Warttmann. The partnership is described as complementary — imprint focuses on data population and migration while topset.de handles database architecture.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• 4-72: European book production services company providing typesetting, design, and editorial support to publishers. Closest international analog to imprint's full-service book production model, with similar publisher-segment focus.
• Bookmobile: US-based book design, typesetting, and production services firm serving independent and trade publishers. Directly comparable business model: project-based professional services, editorial-typesetting integration, and print-ready PDF delivery to publishing clients.
• Topset (Rudi Warttmann): German database publishing and catalog typesetting specialist explicitly named in imprint's data as a complementary partner. Operates in the same niche, serves German publishers, and uses overlapping tooling (EasyCatalog, InDesign) for catalog and price-list production.
• Integra Software Services: Publishing services company offering typesetting, editorial, XML conversion, and eBook production for academic and trade publishers globally. Overlaps with imprint on typesetting and editorial, with broader digital/STM publishing services coverage.

Broad incumbents

• Cornelsen Verlag: Major German educational publisher producing school books and learning aids - exactly the segment imprint serves. While a publisher rather than a services firm, Cornelsen's in-house production capabilities represent a vertical-integrated alternative to outsourcing typesetting work to imprint.
• Cenveo Publisher Services: Large North American print and publisher services provider offering editorial, composition, and production services for book publishers. Much larger scale and broader service portfolio than imprint, but addresses the same publisher production-services category.
• Springer Nature: Global academic publisher with substantial in-house scientific and mathematical typesetting capability for STM content. Comparable to imprint in handling formula-heavy content, but at vastly larger scale and as a publisher rather than a third-party services provider.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookde-de.facebook.com/Imprint.Ilona.Kuelen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Imprint