Imposition Suggestions...

[kdw75]

I am looking for software will impose my mailers for digital output. I am starting with my files in InDesign and currently use Croptima InPlate, but it is slow with documents that have thousands of pages.

What would be my best option for imposing documents of this size for output on a digital printer? Speed is important.

 

[Al Ferrari]

I would think the digital printer is the hold up.

Or do you mean that simply creating the impositions is time consuming? What size press sheets? What do you need besides the pages on a press sheet? Are marks important? If so, you need the marks either on a template page or on a master page, perhaps with layers so that thee marks will show above opaque pages.

A more thorough question will get you better answers or suggestions.

Al

 

[kdw75]

The imposition is the slow stage. I have documents with 6000 pages roughly and I need them placed 4 up on 12x18 sheets for printing. Four fronts then the four backs. I do need marks and bleed settings that are adjustable.

 

[Al Ferrari]

One of the most well established imposition applications is Preps, currently by Kodak. It will do what you need and then some. In fact, it is overkill for your described need, and expensive! But if you routinely do the size of jobs you mention, you probably can afford it over time.

But it also sounds like you could learn more about what to do with the 4 up printed press sheets, because that can directly dictate how you impose the pages. For instance: why are you putting only fronts on one side and backs on the other? Are these being cut apart and then flat gathered by some means? You should consider creating 8 page signatures (folding sheets) with your imposition application, Preps or any other, and this will make for 1/4 as many pieces to be gathered.

Of course they will require putting them through some folding machine, either on your premises or some other. But notice that a 600 page document goes from 300 cut apart pages to be gathered, to 150 folded sheets, called signatures, to be gathered. And this folding process can be done with only one folding machine set up, and will require gathering (collating) i/4 as many pieces.

It may be that you already knew some or all of this, but it did not sound like it from your earlier posts.

Al

 

[Ultimate]

KDW75,

**Note to other valued members: I am not here to only promote our solutions**

Considering your current solution, Croptima is 49, EUR, I doubt you want to consider what Al Ferrari is suggesting, Preps, which will cost you several thousands EUR.

Google on the expression "imposition" or "imposition automation" and you'll have multiple results and multiple vendors. You can find a speedy solution with full control on bleed, marks, creep and so on for prices between 300, EUR and 800, EUR. Some of these solutions offer hot folders, which can allow you to automate the process and save you lots of time to do more valuable tasks in your shop.

Most vendors are offering free trials so you can try before you buy.

Hope this helps,

Ray
Ultimate Technographics

 

[wonderings]

You could try and save a bit of time, when you open croptima, turn off live preview. Croptima should open up instantly this way. The long part will come with the pdf being made. I did a 2900 page pdf, it was in indesign, used live preview in croptima so took a long time to load, then imposed 2 up on 11 x 17 and clicked ok. This whole process took 16 mins from creating live preview to exporting the pdf and opening the new indesign imposed file.

 

[Al Ferrari]

Hey Ray,

To your credit, you did allow that there are solutions from other vendors besides Ultimate and Kodak, but you left me in a negative light in spite of my having said that Preps is expensive and probably overkill for the OP's needs. I wrote 2 other paragraphs longer than the first teaching methods of production independent of a software brand. Can you say the same?

My only connection with Kodak is as a Preps user, and I bought into it long before they owned it.

Al

 

[Edward Tsui]

Hi kdw,

Strictly to say, the imposition applied in the digital printing is totally different from the one applied in the off-set printing. As here can't upload image to make more explaination to you, if you are intrerested, please contact me offline.

 

[ajr]

What digital machine do you have and what RIP?

A

 

[MickRose]

We use PLDA Imposition for digital imposition. Its pretty fast & I think there is a trial available. Reasonably priced.

Mick

 

[Gianni_S]

Give a try to IMPOSTUDIO from devalipi.com or InPO2 from dynagram,
Both are great software for imposition, and the costs are "human"

 

[jminrod]

I think you need to get back to the RIP and software question.
We have preps pro here but it would never handle 6000 pages as quickly as our variable software. I tried it. As far as doing 8up sigs and folding, the 12 x18 is the average size of digital presses. The layouts are done as a "cut and stack" so they come off the cutter and stack on top of each other which keeps the mailing list in the presorted order which is where your mail savings are.

To the original post, If you have the digital press can you tell us what kind and what RIP is attached to it. If you are sending this to a printer did you ask if they would impose it for you. Most new digital presses have the variable on the RIP end so you would only do the indesign file 1up then send the mail list to the press and it merges on the fly so the time is reduced dramatically.
We have xmpie and do the imposition in that and then send ps or pdf to our iGen. If you are using the data merge built in indesign I believe that also has a cut and stack feature as well as straight Nup imposition built in.

 

[Al Ferrari]

Cut and stack impositions for perfect binding sounds like a great idea!

This becomes possible by Digital Printing's unique ability to print entirely different content on every sequential sheet, something that was not possible by previous methods that employed any sort of plate or master to produce a quantity of the same printed form.

So the method becomes: print slip sheeted sets of cut and stack imposed pages. Then guillotine these sets in lifts appropriate for the available cutter; then, manually remove the slip sheet and stack each set , perfect bind and trim 3 sides.

I will try this next time a short run perfect bound book job comes in.

Al