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 tool on the cover of Smart Home Hacks is a key ring of skeleton keys. A skeleton key is an old-fashioned key used in warded locks. Warded locks, first developed by the ancient Romans, consisted of concentric plates protruding outwards to block the rotation of the inner mechanism. When the correct skeleton key was inserted into the maze of wards, with slots to correspond to the protrusion in the locks, the key rotated freely in the lock, causing it to press against the latch or bolt and open what was locked. When warded locks and skeleton keys were in vogue, a well-designed skeleton key opened a wide variety of locks. Based on that fact, many believed a specially cut skeleton key existed that could open any lock, but it proved to be a myth.

Today, skeleton keys are a popular collectable, and when worn around the neck or carried as an amulet, skeleton keys are believed to open the doors of opportunity and success. Marlowe Shaeffer was the production editor and proofreader for Smart Home Hacks, and Audrey Doyle was the copyeditor. Matt Hutchinson and Mary Anne Weeks Mayo provided quality control. Johnna Dinse wrote the index.

Hanna Dyer designed the cover of this book, based on a series design by Edie Freedman. The cover image is a photograph from photos.com. Clay Fernald produced the cover layout with QuarkXPress 4.1 using Adobe's Helvetica Neue and ITC Garamond fonts.

Melanie Wang designed the interior layout, based on a series design by David Futato. This book was converted by Julie Hawks to FrameMaker 5.5.6 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 FreeHand 9 and Adobe Photoshop 6. This colophon was written by Reg Aubry.