Creating a staggered step-and-repeat layout

To avoid problems on press when printing square-cut artwork, you may want to offset or stagger the columns of artwork to avoid the press or cylinder "bounce" that occurs when gaps in the layout cause dimples in the paper that will not properly accept ink. You can stagger the artwork in a staircase ("stair-step") or castletop pattern depending on the content of your artwork. A tall label with empty space in the middle would likely use a staircase stagger, while a label with empty space in the top or bottom half would use a castletop stagger.

1. Create a step-and-repeat layout.
2. In the Stagger area, select one of the following patterns:
   • Staircase Up
   • Staircase Down
   • Castletop - 1st Lane Up
   • Castletop - 1st Lane Down
3. For Amount, select the amount you want the artwork staggered:
   • Default—The height of the artwork divided by the number of steps across the layout.
   • 1/4
   • 1/3
   • 1/2
   • Custom
     Note: There is no Default for castletop patterns.
4. Click OK.

Tip: When working with non-rectangular artwork, you can easily create a simple nested step-and-repeat layout by entering a negative gap value in the horizontal box, and selecting a castletop stagger.