A
A-4
Basics of Imposition
Some pages must be printed upside down on the sheet in order for them to appear
right-side up in the final booklet, and pages must also be printed out of numerical
sequence on the sheet in order for them to appear in numerical sequence in the final
booklet.
This process of folding paper and numbering pages to approximate the finished piece
is called making a folding model, and it’s a common first step in planning a print job.
The folding model provides valuable information about page placement, which you
can use to create a plan, or sketch, of how pages are placed on the sheet. This plan is
called a layout.
DocBuilder Pro frees you from the tedious and error-prone process of creating accurate
physical models of the imposed book in order to lay out pages. With DocBuilder Pro,
you simply open the source file to be imposed and specify how many rows and
columns of pages to image on a sheet. DocBuilder Pro simplifies this process even
further by providing predefined layouts for common impositions such as booklets and
brochures. You can also save your own custom layouts for easy reuse.
Printer’s marks
In addition to specifying the placement of pages on a sheet, the layout also specifies
how the finished sheet will be cut and folded. For example, the layout specifies whether
the large finished sheet is folded and cut to create a booklet, or simply folded (and not
cut) like a map.
A DocBuilder Pro layout designates the location of folds, cuts, and other special
elements by means of special markings called printer’s marks, which appear on the
printed sheet outside the main content area of the job.
• The job label comprises descriptive text such as the name of the job, a sheet
identifier, and the date and time the sheet was printed.
• The location of a fold is defined by a dotted line called a fold mark; similarly, the
location of a cut is defined by a solid line called a trim mark.
• Specialized marks also define the size and locations of margins (space surrounding
the page’s content area), gutters (space between pages), and bleeds (extensions of
content beyond a trim mark; used to ensure that printed area extends to the very
edge of a trimmed page).
