Our look is the result of reader comments, our own experimentation, and feedback from distribution channels. Distinctive covers complement our distinctive approach to technical topics, breathing personality and life into potentially dry subjects. The item on the cover of Windows XP Unwired is a bird cage. When a pet owner invests in a bird cage, he needs to consider certain factors, such as safety and size. A bird pecks at the bars of its cage, so the materials that the cage is made of are important because certain metals are poisonous to birds. Stainless steel is the best type of metal to use; however, if this is not available, there are cages that have a "bird-safe" powder baked on to the metal. This coating protects the bird from any toxins. In terms of the size of a cage, it should be large enough to offer at least double the bird's wing span, from the top to the bottom of the cage as well as from side to side. Ideally, a bird should have even more room than that. In addition, it is sometimes suggested that it is a good idea to provide your pet bird with a large cage for the day and a smaller one for sleep, in order to offer the bird a change of scenery. Mary Brady was the production editor and the copyeditor for Windows XP Unwired. Sada Preisch was the proofreader. Emily Quill, Phil Dangler, and Mary Anne Weeks Mayo provided quality control. Judy Hoer wrote the index.

Edie Freedman designed the cover of this book. The cover image is an original photograph by Edie Freedman. Emma Colby produced the cover layout with QuarkXPress 4.1 using Adobe's Helvetica Neue and ITC Garamond fonts.

David Futato designed the interior layout. This book was converted to FrameMaker 5.5.6 by Andrew Savikas with a format conversion tool created by Erik Ray, Jason McIntosh, Neil Walls, and Mike Sierra that uses Perl and XML technologies. The text font is Linotype Birka; the heading font is Adobe Helvetica Neue Condensed; and the code font is LucasFont's TheSans Mono Condensed. The illustrations that appear in the book were produced by Robert Romano and Jessamyn Read using Macromedia Free-Hand 9 and Adobe Photoshop 6. This colophon was compiled by Mary Brady.