Multiple imposition sections on a press run

A press-run layout can contain multiple identical or unique product sections to control placement of pages.

Identical sections can be used to print multiple deliveries of a product or product section on the same press run, or you can organize an imposition into multiple sections to flow the pages through different press runs and still be able to collate them correctly.

You can use multiple imposition sections for a variety of purposes. For example, use them to:

• Run a few color pages of a job on the same press sheet. You can use normal collation marks and text marks to identify the sections, without additional custom marks. You can restrict marks to print on specific sections.
• Print two or more sections of a book product on a single sheetfed or multiple-web press run as the content becomes available. Identifying marks can be used to collate the parts and produce the correct final page order.
• Print sections with different binding styles on the same press run.
• Break up a large printing job into press runs.
• Run the color sections in one press run, and run the black-and-white sections in the other press runs.
• Print similar sections from different products on one press run.
• Print product sections out of order if some of the input files are not yet available.
• Run a job on a very large sheetfed or web press run.
• On one press run, print multiple small sections that small folding equipment can accommodate.
• Avoid problems by splitting sections when more folds are required than can be accommodated by the paper or folding equipment, or when media is difficult to fold.

Managing multiple sections

Each page is identified by a section number as well as a page number, to define the page flow.

All sections on a press run respect shingling and marks, including press sheet sluglines ($sig variable) and collation marks.

You can also renumber the sections and pages, including locked page numbers, such as to reprint or replace pages in a completed job. Or, if you print selected sections for an incomplete product, the collation marks might need to stay in the correct order.