Book excerpt: In the world of product design, thousands of small bits of must-know information are scattered across a wide array of places. This book collects all the crucial information designers need to know on a daily basis and organizes it in one neat essential handbook. For designers to be able to make designs that work and endure and to ensure they are legal, they need to know-or be able to find-an endless number of details. Whether it's what kind of glue needs to be used on a certain surface, metric equivalents, thread sizes, or how to apply for a patent, these details are essential and must be readily available so designers can create successful products efficiently. This book provides designers with a comprehensive handbook they can turn to over and over again. The author includes information that is essential to successful product design, including measurement conversions, information on trademark and copyright standards as well as patents and product-related intellectual property rights/standards, setting up files for prototyping and production runs, and manufacturing and packaging options to optimize the design.