Publisher metadata belongs both to the bibliographic package and, often, the visible colophon. For EPUB publisher configuration, keep author and publisher roles distinct and verify that the chosen publisher reaches dc:publisher. Decide beforehand whether a personal name, imprint, or circle name owns that role.
Reading Publisher-218-Verified back from OPF
The five-chapter specimen set Publisher-218-Verified as its publisher. The series command returned that value, and the exported content.opf contained the same text in dc:publisher. The package also returned five images, nine spine entries, five nav links, five NCX points, and valid=true.
A duplicated earlier volume can retain an obsolete publisher even after title and author are changed. That is a metadata-layer failure, so recovery returns to the publication settings and re-exports; chapter prose should remain untouched.
Accept the field when the source card, saved series response, and reopened dc:publisher agree. Legal naming, image rights, and retailer acceptance remain outside this technical value-transfer check.
Checking the colophon separately
The OPF transfer test does not validate visible colophon wording. Compare the selected imprint with both dc:publisher and the reader-facing colophon, recording the two decisions independently. Legal authorization for a name remains outside this package inspection.
Define the identity before opening the wizard
A publisher field should contain the publication identity authorized for this edition, not whatever name happens to appear on the cover image. Author, copyright holder, distributor account, and imprint may be related, but they are not automatically interchangeable. Record the exact spelling and the person responsible for approving it before editing package settings.
Enter the value at series level
The persistent specimen uses Publisher-218-Verified in the series setting, with Japanese language and horizontal writing. Volume zero uses version 1.8. Saving at this layer makes the value part of the export plan rather than decorative chapter prose. A separate plan or state reread should display the same literal string before packaging begins.
Inspect saved state before export
Do not rely on the last text visible in an input box. Reopen the workspace metadata and compare publisher, title, and language with the approval card. If a duplicated project still contains the old imprint, correct the source setting now. Chapter text does not need to change to solve this identity mismatch.
Read dc:publisher in the delivered file
After export, open the EPUB container and inspect content.opf. The measured package contained the chosen publisher string, together with the expected title and ja language. This is the decisive link between the authorized value and the machine-readable archive. A screenshot of the wizard would not prove what the delivered file contains.
Keep structural counts in a neighboring column
The four-chapter test returned nine spine entries, five images, five nav links, five NCX points, and valid=true. Those results identify a locally coherent package, but none of them substitutes for reading the publisher node. Conversely, a correct publisher does not excuse a missing image or navigation failure. Identity and structure have separate acceptance rows.
Recover from an inherited or malformed name
If the OPF contains an old imprint or a typo, return to the series setting, correct it, and export under a new filename. Search the reopened OPF for zero occurrences of the old value and the expected occurrence of the new one. Avoid patching only the finished archive, because the next generation would reintroduce the source error.
Check the colophon as reader-facing copy
The colophon may format publisher information differently or combine it with other edition details. Review it separately from dc:publisher. The machine-readable field and visible colophon should both follow the editorial policy, but they serve different consumers and should not be forced into false textual identity without a specification.
Sign off with an exact string and archive digest
The handoff should name Publisher-218-Verified, cite the saved series state and OPF readback, and identify the package hash from the persistent evidence. Local validity does not guarantee that a retailer accepts the name or that account ownership is legally sufficient. It proves that the approved test string traveled from setting to package without being forgotten.
EPUB publisher metadata is complete only when authority, saved source, delivered OPF, and visible edition copy have been considered. Keeping those checkpoints distinct makes a later imprint change traceable and prevents a correct-looking cover from masking an empty publisher field.
Typography can make two publisher strings look equivalent when their code points, spacing, corporate suffix, or normalization differ. Copy from the approved identity card, declare any normalization policy, and compare the complete element value rather than a substring. An old name may legitimately appear in historical prose while being forbidden in dc:publisher; searches need context instead of blind replacement.
For a multi-volume series, test one volume before regenerating every archive. Confirm the saved series setting, inspect its OPF, run structural validation, and obtain editorial approval for the visible colophon. Only then expand the change with a per-volume output digest. Bulk replacement without a pilot can reproduce the same misspelling across an entire catalog.
Publisher changes may also trigger decisions outside the EPUB, such as storefront account display or ISBN records. Those systems are not proven by this package test. Keep the local claim precise: the authorized synthetic value was saved and appeared in the generated OPF of a valid local specimen. Coordinate external identity changes through their own evidence.
When a later audit asks why a value changed, the approval card and archive record should answer without reopening the editing session. They show the old string, new exact string, approving authority, source setting, OPF readback, and artifact digest. That chain turns publisher metadata from an easily forgotten text box into a controlled edition property.