U

IMPOSER PRO

Imposition Sof tware for Adobe Acrobat

Copyright 2005 by a lowly apprentice production, inc. All rights reserved.

Trademark Information
a lowly apprentice production, the a lowly apprentice logo, Imposer Pro, and alap XTensions logos are
trademarks of a lowly apprentice production, inc. Adobe and Adobe Acrobat are trademarks of Adobe
Systems Incorporated. Apple, Macintosh are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.
The software described in this manual is distributed under license from a lowly apprentice production.
The license agreement specifies the permitted and prohibited uses of this software. Any unauthorized
duplication or use of Imposer in whole or in part, in print, or in any other storage or retrieval system is
prohibited.
Imposer Pro software is provided as is without warranty of any kind, either express or implied,
regarding the software package, its merchantability, or its fitness for any particular purpose.

revised 10-3-05 (10:58am)

INTRODUCING IMPOSER

Previewing Printer Flats . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Imposer Pro Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Navigating Pages in the Preview . . .10

Installing Imposer Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Displaying a Corresponding Page

Macintosh Installation . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Windows Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

in the PDF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Displaying Guides, Bleeds,

Uninstalling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

and Page Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Installing a Demo Version . . . . . . . . .5

Displaying Layout Panel Settings . . .11

Words from ALAP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Step 11: Creating an imposed

Using this Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

PDF file with Imposer Pro . . . . . .11

About Software Copying . . . . . . . . . .6

Creating Custom Impositions . . . . .11

Thank You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Creating and Choosing Styles . . . . . . .12

Setting Up Printer Flats . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Standard Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Step 1: Specifying a Sheet Type . . . . .6

Creating a Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Step 2: Specifying an

Updating a Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Imposition Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Choosing a Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Step 3: Specifying a Binding Type . . .7

Editing the Style List . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Step 4: Flipping and Moving Pages . . .8

Sharing Styles with Other Users . . .13

Step 5: Specifying Bleed . . . . . . . . . . .8

Dealing with PDFs That Have

Step 6: Specifying Creep . . . . . . . . . .8

the Bleed Included . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

How Creep Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Adding Custom Printers Marks . . . . . .13

Step 7: Specifying Crossover . . . . . . .9

Sample Imposition Scenarios . . . . . . . .14

Step 8: Specifying Margins . . . . . . . .9

Saddle-Stitch Scenario . . . . . . . . . . .14

Step 9: Specifying Gaps . . . . . . . . . . .9

Perfect-Bound Scenario . . . . . . . . . .14

Step 10: Specifying

Stacked Scenario . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Registration Marks . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Work & Turn Scenario . . . . . . . . . .15

Work & Tumble Scenario . . . . . . . .15
Split Web Scenario . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

IMPOSER PRO OVERVIEW

Imposer Pro is a plug-in for Acrobat that creates a
new PDF from your original, multi-page PDF file,
imposing its pages into printer flats. Imposer Pro
offers three sheet types (2-Up, 4-Up, or 8-Up) and
five imposition types (Standard, Work & Turn,
Work & Tumble, Split Web, and Sheet Wise). To
meet all your imposition needs, you can choose
which pages to impose and how many signatures
to create, so you can use different imposition
methods for the same document.

Use the Preview dialog box to verify that your

Layout settings will work for the job.

Imposer Pro compensates for bleed, creep,

crossover trapping, page gaps, spread gaps, and
plate margins according to your specifications.
The plug-in never affects the layout of your PDF
file because the imposition is done in a completely
new document, with no further compression being
performed. Imposer Pro doesnt add, shuffle, or
rotate pages. You dont need to worry about how
many pages are in the document or how the
document is set up.
To use Imposer Pro, follow these steps:
Open the Acrobat PDF file you want to
impose.
Display the Imposer Pro dialog box (File
menu, below the Print command).

The Preview panel in the Imposer Pro dialog box.

Click Create to produce a new PDF file with

imposed printer flats displaying printers
marks and information about each flat.
Imposer Pro provides an interactive Help area
to provide information while youre working.
To display the area, click the triangle in the
lower left corner of the Imposer Pro dialog
box. Point at any item to display information
about it in the Help area.

Set up the imposition using the Layout and

Preview panels of the Imposer Pro dialog box.
The Help area displays at the bottom of the the Imposer
Pro dialog box.

The Layout panel in the Imposer Pro dialog box.

INSTALLING IMPOSER PRO

The Imposer Pro installer automatically places the
plug-in into the Plug-ins folder inside the package
contents of Adobe Acrobat.

Macintosh Installation
1 Insert the ALAP CD (or locate the installer you
downloaded).

7 If you have more than one copy of Acrobat on

your hard disk, the installer will ask you to
select a copy for use with Imposer Pro. Select
the copy of Acrobat to install with, then click
OK.
8 A message displays indicating that the
installation was successful, click Close to exit
the installer and return to the desktop.

2 Double-click the Imposer Pro Installer icon

inside the Imposer Pro folder. When the splash
screen appears, click Continue.

9 Launch Adobe Acrobat.

3 If you agree to the Software License and

Limited Warranty Agreement, click Accept.

For Windows: The Uninstall application will

remove all files installed. To uninstall Imposer Pro,
from the Start menu, select Programs
Imposer Pro Remove Imposer Pro.

4 Click Install. Locate the copy of Adobe Acrobat

that you want to use Imposer Pro with. Click
Open.
5 When prompted, enter your name,
organization, and serial number. Click OK.
Note: Your serial number is printed on the
inside cover of the CD case or is in the
confirmation email you received.
6 A message displays indicating that the
installation was successful. Click Quit to exit
the installer and return to the desktop.
7 Launch Adobe Acrobat.

Windows Installation
1 Insert the ALAP CD (or locate the installer you
downloaded).

Uninstalling

For Macintosh: Select the Adobe Acrobat

program icon in the Finder and from the top
menu, select File Get Info (C+I). Select the
Imposer Pro plug-in from the list of installed
plug-ins and click the 'Remove' button.

Installing a Demonstration Version

To introduce the benefits of Imposer Pro to other
Acrobat users, weve included an unserialized,
limited-function version of the plug-in. On the
Mac, click Demo in the Product Registration
dialog box. On Windows, type demo in the
Serial Number field in the Product Registration
dialog box. Feel free to share Imposer Pro (for
demos only!) with friends and coworkers.

2 Double-click the Imposer Pro Installer icon

inside the Imposer Pro folder. When the splash
screen appears, click Next.
3 If you agree to the Software License and
Limited Warranty Agreement, click Yes.
4 When prompted, enter your name,
organization, and serial number. Click Next.
Note: Your serial number is printed on the
inside cover of the CD case or is in the
confirmation email you received.
6 The installer will add a program icon to the
Program Folder. Click Next to use the default
path, or type new folder name.

WORDS FROM ALAP

Using this Manual
This manual focuses on showing you how to use
Imposer Pro. The procedures assume you are
familiar with Adobe Acrobat and the printing
method your document requires.
Throughout this manual, the names of commands,
fields, buttons, etc. are set in bold type. The
notation Choose File Imposer Pro indicates
that you should select the Imposer Pro command
from the File menu.

About Software Copying

Remember, by using this software, you have agreed
to the software license. Please do not copy the
product illegally. If you have multiple copies of
Adobe Acrobat and you would like to use this
software with them, a site license can be arranged.

Thank You
We extend to you our thanks for your support of
this product. It is important that you understand
that a lowly apprentice production, inc. is a small
software company (nowhere near the size of Adobe
Systems Inc.). It is your comments and feedback
that lead to improvements to this product. Please
feel free to call or write with any suggestions you
may have for future versions of this plug-in and we
will put them on our wish list.
Also, if you encounter a problem with the
software, please let us know what you did and
what the plug-in did only the problems we
know about can be fixed.
And finally, please be sure to send in your
registration card so we can keep you informed
about what we are doing.
a lowly apprentice production, inc.
5963 La Place Court, Suite 206
Carlsbad, CA 92008-8823 USA
Voice: 760-438-5790
Fax: 760-438-5791
E-mail: support@alap.com

SETTING UP PRINTER FLATS

Before you set up printer flats, youll need to work
closely with the printer, bindery, and other vendors
to confirm that the imposition will work with
their setup. The printer may, in fact, simply tell
you how to set it up.
When setting up printer flats, youll use a
combination of controls in the Preview and
Layout panels. Then, youll simply click the
Create button to produce a new PDF document
containing each printer flat on separate pages.
Note: Throughout this discussion, the term printer
flat refers to a collection of pages that will be
imaged on one side of a single sheet. The term
printer spreads refers to two pages next to each
other on a sheet of paper.

Step 1: Specifying a Sheet Type

The sheet type is the number of pages on each
printer flat (each side of a sheet): two, four, or
eight. The type of imposition you select in
Imposer Pro 2-Up, 4-Up, or 8-Up controls
the types of imposition available.
For 2-Up, Standard imposition is available.
For 4-Up, Standard, Work & Turn, Work &
Tumble, and Sheet Wise imposition are
available.
For 8-Up, Standard, Work & Turn, Work &
Tumble, Split Web, and Sheet Wise
imposition are available.
To specify a sheet type, open the Imposer Pro
dialog box and click the Layout tab. Then, click
the 2-Up, 4-Up, or 8-Up tab.

The 2-Up, 4-Up, and 8-Up tabs let you select a sheet type,
which determines the imposition types available.

Step 2: Specifying an Imposition Type

Since the type of imposition interacts with the
binding and determines which other options are
available, its important to understand how each
type functions.
Standard places the number of pages you
specify for the sheet type on each flat: two for
2-Up, four for 4-Up, or eight for 8-Up. For
example, if you select 4-Up Standard, an
eight-page document will yield two unique
printer flats, a 16-page document will yield
four unique printer flats, and so on (provided
that you choose Saddle Stitch or Perfect
Bound for the binding).
Work & Turn places four (4-Up) or eight
(8-Up) pages on each flat, in which the printed
press sheet is turned from left to right. Saddle
Stitch and Perfect Bound binding will yield
duplicate printer spreads.
Work & Tumble places four (4-Up) or eight
(8-Up) pages per flat, in which the printed
press sheet is tumbled top to bottom. Saddle
Stitch and Perfect Bound binding will yield
unique printer spreads, which are then
duplicated front and back.
Split Web, available only for 8-Up sheets,
places eight pages on each flat. Split Web
allows you to impose a document over several
forms when printing to a Web press that can be
configured to run multiple roll stands. In the
Sheets field, enter the number of roll stands to
be configured. For example, entering 2 in the
Sheets field will impose 2 forms that make up
one 32-page signature. In the Layout panel,
you can toggle between the forms Imposer Pro
will create.
Sheet Wise places four (4-Up) or eight (8-Up)
pages on each flat, but it creates different plates
for each side of the press sheet. Use this option
when printing full signatures that yield one
signature out on a Web press. When you
choose Sheet Wise, the Units menu lets you
choose how many units out to produce.

To specify an imposition type, first confirm the

sheet type in the Layout tab: 2-Up, 4-Up, or 8-Up.
Then, choose an option from the Type menu.

The Type menu, which offers different imposition options

depending on the sheet type.

Note: If you choose Sheet Wise, choose an option

from the Units menu. If you choose Split Web,
enter a value in the Sheets field and click the
arrows at the bottom of the Layout panel to view
the different forms.

For Split Web imposition with multiple sheets, you can

use the arrows at the bottom of the Layout panel to view
the different forms.

Step 3: Specifying a Binding Type

The type of binding you choose affects how the
printer flats are created:
Choose Saddle Stitch if the pages will be
stapled.
Choose Perfect Bound if the pages will be
bound to the cover with adhesive.
Choose Stacked if the pages will be three-hole
punched, spiral bound, or comb bound.
Stacked is similar to None, except it allows for
multiple masters for large format copiers.
Choose None if the pages will not be bound.
None offsets any two (2-Up), four (4-Up) or
eight (8-Up) pages from the Start Page
specified in the Preview panel.

Note: Choosing Saddle Stitch, Perfect Bound, or

Stacked enables the Signatures menu in the
Preview panel, which allows you to specify how
many signatures to create.

To specify a binding type, confirm the sheet and

imposition type in the Layout tab. Then, choose
an option from the Binding menu.

Step 6: Specifying Creep

The value in the Creep field specifies the amount
of space necessary to accommodate paper thickness
and folding in Saddle Stitch or Perfect Bound
publications. Enter a value between 144 pt and
144 pt. For Saddle Stitch publications, the value
specifies the distance contents move. For Perfect
Bound publications, the value specifies the
distance pages move relative to the spine.

How Creep Works

The Binding menu lets you choose from Saddle Stitch,
Perfect Bound, Stacked, or None.

Step 4: Flipping and Moving Pages

Once you have the pages arranged, you can
rearrange pages if necessary and decide whether
pages need to be flipped (head-to-head, for
example).
To flip pages, click the Page Flipping tool
in the Layout panel. Click the thumbnails to
flip them; in 4-Up Standard, 4-Up Work &
Turn, or 4-Up Work & Tumble, you can flip
the top and bottom sets of thumbnails
separately.
To rearrange pages, click the Page Sequence
in the Layout panel. If
Numbering tool
youve selected None for the binding, click on
each thumbnail to display a menu. The menu
lets you arrange the pages any way you want. If
youve selected Saddle Stitch or Perfect Bound,
click a thumbnail to specify the location of page
1. Page 1 must remain a right-facing page.

Step 5: Specifying Bleed

The value in the Bleed field specifies the amount
of space used to allow page elements to print
beyond the edge of the trimmed page. Enter a
value between zero and the smallest margin. The
value you enter in the Bleed field will affect only
the face of a printer flat (the top, bottom, and
outside page edges). To control the bleed between
pages for Saddle Stitch or Perfect Bound
publications, refer to Crossover.

Imposer Pro considers the cover of the final

piece to be the outermost printer flat while the
centerfold is considered to be the innermost
printer flat. The term sheet is used to represent
two printer flats the front of the sheet and the
back of the sheet. The creep increment is
calculated by dividing the user-supplied creep
value by the total number of sheets minus one.
For example, a 16-page PDF file could yield eight
printer flats, or four sheets. The front of the first
sheet will consist of the first printer flat (pages 16
and 1) while the back of the first sheet will consist
of the second printer flat (pages 2 and 15). For the
sake of this discussion, if the user-supplied creep
value was 24 pts (we realize this is an extreme) the
creep increment will be 8 pts per sheet (24 divided
by 3).
The amount of creep applied to the outermost
sheet will be 24 pts, the amount of creep applied
to the second sheet will be 16 pts and the amount
of creep applied to the third sheet will be 8 pts.
No creep will be applied to the fourth and
innermost sheet. As our example illustrates, the
amount of creep for each successive sheet was
decreased by the creep increment.
In summary, each page on the outermost sheet is
moved 12 pts (half of the 24 pt creep value for this
sheet) away from the spine, each page on the
second sheet is moved 8 pts (half of the 16 pt
creep value for this sheet) away from the spine,
each page on the third sheet is moved 4 pts (half
of the 8 pt creep value for this sheet) away from
the spine. Pages on the fourth and innermost sheet
are not moved.

Binding
Perfect

Value
Positive #

Movement
Page Out

Perfect

Negative #

Page In

Saddle Stitch

Positive #

Content Out

Saddle Stitch

Negative #

Content In

None

n/a

n/a

Step 7: Specifying Crossover

The Horizontal field represents the distance

between the bottom of the upper printer spread
and the top of the lower printer spread.
A Horizontal gap value is not available for
2-Up flats but is required for 4-Up flats that
bleed.
The Spread field, available for 8-Up flats only,
represents the vertical space between the two
sets of printer spreads.

The value in the Crossover field specifies the

amount of space used to allow page elements to
encroach the Gap in Saddle Stitch or Perfect
Bound publications. (Think of it as a bleed for in
between pages.) Enter a value between zero and
half the Vertical Gap value.

Step 8: Specifying Margins

Values in the Margins area specify the amount of
space to surround the trim size of the printer flat.
Enter values between 0 and 288 points in the Top,
Left, Bottom, and Right fields.

Step 9: Specifying Gaps

Values in the Gaps area specify the amount of
space that will be placed between imposed pages
and spreads. Enter values between 0 and 288
points in the Vertical, Horizontal, and Spread
fields.
The Vertical field represents the distance
between the right side of the left page and the
left side of the right page.
A Vertical gap value is required if the flat has a
crossover. For Perfect Bound publications, if
you are creeping in (with a negative value), the
minimum Vertical gap value is the width of the
Creep value. If youre manually creating
signatures (for example, if there are different
stocks in the same publication), you can enter a
value in the Vertical field to specify a starting
creep for flats that belong to different
signatures.

In the Layout panel, arrows show the location affected by

the active field (the Spread field).

Step 10: Specifying Registration Marks

Imposer Pro lets you create new PDF files without
registration marks (if the supplied PDF file has its
own registration marks) or with standard
registration marks.
1 In the Imposer Pro dialog box, click the
Preview tab.
2 Choose an option from the Registration menu.

The Registration Marks menu in the Preview panel.

Choose Off to create a PDF without

registration marks.
Choose Center or Off Center to create a PDF
using Imposer Pros default marks, which
include four targets, trim marks, bleed marks,
fold lines, a text slug, a gray bar, and color bar
(when printing separations).
Note: The position of the registration marks is
controlled by the value you enter in the Bleed
field in the Layout panel.

PREVIEWING PRINTER FLATS

The Preview panel of the Imposer Pro dialog box
lets you confirm the settings you make in the
Layout panel. For example, you can see how the
pages are rotated and you can check the bleed
amount.
To open the Imposer Pro dialog box, choose
File Imposer Pro. To switch between the
Preview and Layout panels, click the tabs. Use the
resize box in the lower right corner to increase the
previewing area.

Navigating Pages in the Preview

You can navigate through the previews using the
scroll bar under the preview area or using keyboard
commands.
Flat
First

Scroll Bar
n/a

Keyboard
Home

Last

n/a

End

Next

Click Right Arrow Right Arrow

Previous

Click Left Arrow

Displaying Guides, Bleeds, and

Page Numbers
Settings in the Preview Options dialog box control
whether page guides, bleed guides, and page
numbers display in the previews by default. While
youre previewing flats, you can quickly hide and
display these visual aids using the Options menu.
To change these options:
1 Choose File Imposer Pro and click the
Preview tab if its not already selected.
2 Click the arrow in the upper right corner of the
dialog box to display the Options menu.
Choose Preview Options from the menu.
Tip: You can also Control+click (Mac) or
Right-click (Windows) anywhere in the
Preview panel to display the Options menu.

Left Arrow

Back several flats Click Left Side

Page Down

The Options menu.

Up several flats

Click Right Side

Page Up

Any

Drag Scroll Box

n/a

3 Use the check boxes in the Preview area to

determine whether page guides, bleed guides,
and page numbers display by default.
Regardless of your preference settings, you can
use the Options menu to toggle these on and
off while previewing printer flats.

To preview a specific printer flat, click in

the Flat Info area to the left of the scroll bar.
Choose a printer flat from the Flat menu.

The Flat menu in the Preview panel.

Displaying a Corresponding Page

in the PDF
If you want to see the PDF page that corresponds
with a preview, double-click that page in the page
preview. Acrobat will display the page in the
document window.

The Display check boxes in the Preview Options

dialog box.

Check Display Page Guides to display lines

that frame the trim area of each page.
Check Display Bleed Guides to display lines
indicating the extent of the bleed area of each
page.
Check Display Page Numbers to display the
page number of each page.

10

Note: None of the three options mentioned will

appear on the resulting PDF file.

Displaying Layout Panel Settings

While youre in the Preview panel, you can display
a summary of the current settings in the Layout
panel. To display the summary, click the triangle in
the lower left corner of the Imposer Pro dialog
box to open the Help area. Point at one of the
thumbnails to display the summary.

The Help area in the Preview panel.

Step 11: Creating an imposed PDF

file with Imposer Pro

The Preview panel with page guides and page numbers

showing.

4 Use the buttons in the Color area to

customize the color of the page guides, the
bleed guides, and the page number swatches.

Clicking the Page Guide, Bleed Guide, or Page

# Background button displays the standard
system color picker. Select a color model from
the icons across the top, select a different color,
then click OK to return to the Preview
Options dialog box.

Imposer Pro for Adobe Acrobat will create a new

PDF file with imposed printer flats from a regular
multi-page PDF file.
To create an imposed PDF with Imposer Pro:
1 Choose File Imposer Pro, then confirm all
the settings in the Preview and Layout panels
of the Imposer Pro dialog box.
3 Click Create in the Imposer Pro dialog box or
press Return/Enter.
Note: Imposer Pro for Adobe Acrobat places each
set of printers marks on a separate layer in the
final PDF file. These layers can be accessed by
clicking the Layers tab in Acrobat and can be
turned on or off, giving you complete control over
which marks will print.

Creating Custom Impositions

You are not limited to a single imposition type
within a document. You can choose which pages
to impose a certain way, create a PDF file from those,
then impose and create a second PDF file containing
the remaining pages. For example, the cover pages
of a document may need to be in a different PDF
file than the interior pages.

Choose a color method and select a different color.

5 When youre finished modifying these options,

click OK to save your changes.

Say youre printing a 12-page book. You can create

one PDF file containing eight of the pages 4-Up
and the remaining two pages can go in a second
PDF file 2-Up. This results in three printer flats
in two different PDF files. If you dont customize
the imposition in this scenario, and create the
entire book 4-Up, Imposer Pro will add four blank
pages and your resulting PDF file will contain four
printer flats.
11

The Preview tab provides these controls:

All: Check this option to create an imposed
PDF containing all pages from the original
multi-page PDF file.
Range: To specify a range of pages to impose
from the original PDF file.
Note: Keep in mind that comma delimiters
signify single pages, while hyphens signify page
ranges. For example, typing

1, 4, 7, 1014 in the Range field will yield

eight pages: 1, 4, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14.

The Style menu in the Layout panel.

Creating a Style
To create an imposition style from the current
settings in the Preview and Layout panels:
1 Click the Layout tab, and then choose Add
from the Style menu in the upper left corner.
2 Enter a name for the style in the Name field
and click OK.

Using custom imposition setting in the Preview tab.

CREATING AND CHOOSING STYLES

Once youve set up an imposition for a document,
you can save it as an imposition style. All the
styles you create are saved with the Imposer Pro
plug-in and are available to all your documents;
you can import and export styles to share them
with other Imposer Pro users.
The Style menu in the Layout panel lets you
create, edit, and choose styles. Another Style menu
in the Preview panel lets you choose a style as well.

Standard Style
Imposer Pro comes with a default imposition style
called Standard. If you click the Style menu in the
Layout panel, youll notice a check mark next to
Standard, indicating that its in use.
If Standard or any other style is italicized, it means
you have overridden its settings with your own
settings. If youre setting up an imposition for a
one-time use, you can continue working this way.
Otherwise, you may want to either edit Standard
to include your own settings or create a new style.

12

The Add Style dialog box.

3 Click the Style menu and notice that your new

style is automatically selected

Any changes you make to the current setup from

this point on will override the style (and the style
will display in italics) unless you update the style.

Updating a Style
If you choose a style, then continue to modify the
setup, you can update the style itself to reflect your
changes. Once you modify the active styles setup,
the selected style is italicized in the Layout panels
Style menu and the Update command becomes
available.

The Update command in the Layout panels Style menu.

To update the selected style to reflect the current

settings in the Preview and Layout panels, choose
Update from the Style menu. The styles name will
no longer be italicized.

Choosing a Style
To choose an imposition style for the current
document, click the icon in the upper left corner
of the Layout or Preview panel to display the
Style menu. Choose Standard or one of the styles
you created. A check mark displays next to the
style in use.

Editing the Style List

Once youve created a variety of styles, you may
need to start renaming or deleting some of the
styles. To do this:
1 Click the Layout tab, and then choose Edit
from the Style menu in the upper left corner.
2 To delete a style, select it and click Delete.
Shift+click to select contiguous styles; C+click
(Mac) or Control+click (Windows) to select
noncontiguous styles.
3 To rename a style, select it and click Rename.
Enter a new name in the Name field and click
OK.
4 When youre finished editing the list of styles,
click Save.

Sharing Styles with Other Users

You and other Imposer Pro users can share styles
by importing and exporting them. To do this:
1 Click the Layout tab, and then choose Edit
from the Style menu in the upper left corner.
2 To import styles from another user, click
Import. Use the directory dialog box to
locate and select the file and click Open.
3 To export styles, first select them. Shift+click
to select contiguous styles; C+click (Mac) or
Control+click (Windows) to select
noncontiguous styles.
4 Click Export. Use the directory dialog box to
select a location for the file, then enter a name
in the Export as field. Click Save.
5 When youre finished importing/exporting
styles, click Save.

DEALING WITH PDFS THAT HAVE

THE BLEED INCLUDED
When dealing with a print job with bleed, the
PDFs must be prepared in a certain fashion prior
to imposing with Imposer Pro:
1 Be sure to export (or have the client export)
the PDF with a symmetrical bleed. No
registration marks are necessary, as these will be
created by Imposer Pro for Acrobat.
g

InDesign: Set all Bleed fields (Top, Bottom,

Inside, Outside) to the same bleed amount in
the Marks and Bleeds tab of the Export
Adobe PDF dialog box.
QuarkXPress: Set the Bleed Type to
Symmetric, and the Amount to an
appropriate number.

2 Open the PDF file in Acrobat Professional and

choose Document Crop Pages (Document
Pages Crop for Acrobat Professional 6.x).
3 Enter the bleed amount (from step 1) into each
of the fields Top, Bottom, Left, and Right.
4 Under Page Range, check the All option to
assure all pages are cropped, and choose Even
and Odd Pages from the pop-up menu below it.
5 Click OK, and the PDF should now be cropped
to the final trim size. Using Imposer Pro at this
point should yield the expected results.
Note: No information is discarded when you
crop a page from within Acrobat Professional;
cropping only controls the onscreen viewable
area.

ADDING CUSTOM PRINTERS MARKS

This isnt currently a feature of Imposer Pro, but
it can be done using a feature built into Acrobat
with relative ease.
1 Create a PDF of your custom printers marks
(color bars, logo, etc.) using your favorite
graphics application.
2 Open your imposed PDF in Acrobat Professional.
3 From the top menu, select Document Add
Watermark & Background.
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4 In the Type section, click the Add a Background

option, and be sure the Show when displaying
on screen and Show when printing options
are checked.
5 In the Source section, select the From file
option, click the Choose button, and select the
custom marks PDF that you created.
6 In the Position and Appearance section, change
the Vertical Alignment to 0 in from Top, and
the Horizontal Alignment to 0 in from Center.
This is assuming the marks will fall at the topcenter of the flat. Otherwise, simply change
these settings accordingly.
7 In the Page Ranges section, be sure that the All
Pages option is selected. Click OK.
Note: You can add as many marks as you
would like by following these steps again.
Each time you do, the marks are embedded
into your imposed PDF. By changing the Page
Ranges section accordingly, you can also use
different marks for different flats.

SAMPLE IMPOSITION SCENARIOS

To use Imposer Pro effectively, you need to fully
understand the types of imposition it offers. This
section provides a real-world example of the
imposition types in action.

Saddle-Stitch Scenario
Lets say youre creating printer spreads for a
16-page document. In the Layout panel, click the
2-Up tab and choose Saddle Stitch from the
Binding menu. Specify any necessary values for
Margins, Gaps, Bleed, etc., then click the
Preview tab. To create a new, imposed PDF
containing all the pages from the original
document, click the All radio button. Select an
option from the Registration menu, then click
Create. This setup creates a new PDF file
containing eight 2-page printer flats.
Now, lets say the printer requests a four-up
configuration for the same document. All you do
is click the 4-Up tab in the Layout panel and
leave the Type set at Standard. All the other
settings remain the same. (If you specified a Bleed
value, the Horizontal Gap is automatically set to
twice the Bleed value.) This setup prints four
4-page printer flats.

Perfect-Bound Scenario
Lets say your document is 116 pages (including
the front and back covers). This job may require
two print runs, one for the cover and one for the
guts.
Cover Output: In the Layout panel, click the
2-Up tab and choose Perfect Bound from the
Binding menu. To compensate for the spine,
enter a value in the Horizontal Gap field. Enter
values in the other fields as necessary, then click
the Preview tab. Enter 1, 2, 115, 116 in the
Range field. Choose an option from the
Registration menu, then click Create. This
setup creates a new, imposed PDF file
containing the first two printer flats.

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 Guts Output: In the Layout panel, click the

4-Up tab (if your printer requests printer
spreads, click the 2-Up tab). Specify any
necessary values for Margins, Gaps, Bleed,
etc., noting that the Horizontal Gap for the
spine is no longer necessary. Click the Preview
tab and enter 3114 in the Range field.
Choose an option from the Registration
menu, then click Create. This setup creates a
new, imposed PDF file containing the
remainder of the document in 4-up flats.
Since there are 112 pages of guts to impose in
eight-page sheets, and 112/8=14, this setup prints
14 sheets. (Imposer Pro would allow you to create
imposed PDFs for 15 sheets from this document if
it included the covers.)

Stacked Scenario
The Stacked binding option is ideal for
documents to be reproduced on a large-format
copier such as a DocuTech, which cuts and collates
as it prints. Say youre creating an imposed PDF
file for a 40-page book (from a 40-page PDF file)
which will be printed on a DocuTech to be spiral
bound. First, in the Layout panel, click the
2-Up tab and choose Stacked from the Binding
menu. In the Sheets field, enter 10. Specify any
necessary values for Bleed, Margins, and Vertical
Gap (Creep and Crossover are disabled for
Stacked binding).
Then, click the Preview tab. To use all the pages
in the document, click the All radio button. Select
an option from the Registration menu, then click
Create. This setup creates a new, imposed PDF
file containing 10 four-page sheets. The PDF file
can now be printed to the large-format copier, and
the sheets then cut to size and stacked on top of
each other to form a 40-page publication, ready
for binding.

Work & Turn Scenario

Lets say you have a PDF file for a four-page
brochure. The printer is planning to print this 4-up
as a work-and-turn job and has requested a PDF
containing composed flats. In the Layout panel,
click the 4-Up tab, choose Work & Turn from the
Type menu and either Saddle Stitch or Perfect
Bound from the Binding menu. Enter values in the
other fields as necessary, then click the Preview tab.
Enter 14 in the Range field. Choose an option
from the Registration menu, then click Create.

Work & Tumble Scenario

Using the same example as work-and-turn, lets say
the printer requests film for a work-and-tumble
job. The only change you need to make is to
choose Work & Tumble from the Type menu in
the Layout panel. Since Work & Tumble creates
two flats with the same contents, you only need to
create a new PDF file of one of the flats.

Split Web Scenario

In this example, say youre creating an imposed
PDF file for a 16-page book which will be printed
to a Web press with two roll stands. Each press
unit will print an 8-page signature. Both rolls are
printed at the same time and collated in line to be
final folded into a 16-page stapled book. In the
Layout panel, click the 8-Up tab and then choose
Split Web from the Type menu, (note: Units will
default to 2 out), choose Saddle Stitch from the
Binding menu. Proceed as usual.

15

Quark, Inc.
1800 Grant Street, Suite 800
Denver, CO 80203
www.quark.com
800 676 4575
303 894 8888