I have four years’ experience as a typesetter. Though typesetting is not core to my current work (in copy-editing), my experience in typesetting is very complementary to many of the tasks involved in editing, especially those around ensuring mechanical consistency. These include using Referencing tools in MS Word, for example, to ensure automatic renumbering of Figures (for when a Figure is inserted or deleted), using Styles for hierarchies of headings to facilitate the automated generation of Tables of Contents, and using cross-referencing functions.
Page layout and design is best postponed until after any copy-editing work is completed, of course, but in practice, pre-formatted texts often land on my desk for copy-editing.
My familiarity with the processes involved in typesetting gives me the flexibility to be able to copy-edit these texts in a way that preserves page-layout and design features, and to make any adjustments to figures or graphs that become necessary as a result of copy-editing. My experience allows me to work effectively with typesetters, providing call-outs for the placement of Figures, anticipating any problems that may arise with page layout or pagination.