Export Options

This feature is available from the File Menu and also by the right-click on the Export icon.

All export settings can be saved for later use. The "Use export setting stored in imposition file" option is useful if you use templates or previously created impositions and want to use the same export setting. The setting is always saved to the template and imposition file, but is only used when this option is enabled (as well as in the case of imposition using the watched folders). If this option is inactive, the current setting (common to all imposition exports) remains in effect when opening the imposition file or template (the setting stored in the template will only be used when this option is enabled).

The first setup block allows you to set the rotation of the imposition sheet on export, either rotate it to always be portrait or landscape (or you can set the rotation of the back 180˚ against the front) or rotate the sheet by the specified angle.

Next options are Correction of digital printer inaccuracies, Split output to separate PDFs and Reverse sheets order. If the sheets are splitted into separate PDFs, _1, _2, _3, etc. are added after the file name. It is also possible to set the minimum number of added digits (eg _001, _002, ...).

Correction of digital printer inaccuracies

For digital printers, the print is often shifted and even rotated compared to the original. This can be very undesirable for duplex printing, when the front and back side shifts are added up and the resulting difference can even be 3 or 4 mm. In the case this shift is constant, it can be corrected by shifting (or even rotating) the PDF content in the opposite direction. The effectiveness of this correction, of course, depends on other factors, especially on the printer feeder: the shift (or rotation) must always be the same. It also depends on the paper loading into the printer. In some cases (depending on the printer's design), the tolerance for paper loading is even 2 mm. However, if the paper feeder is OK and you eliminate the inaccuracies of the paper loading (you always load it the same way), it is usually possible to reduce the difference of printing front and back side to 0.5 mm or less.

The program allows 2 correction versions: standard and advanced. In the standard version, X and Y axis and sheet rotation can be set independently for the front and back side. In most cases, this correction is sufficient. Sometimes, however, printing is also deformed (for example, scaled up or down in one axis), then it is better to use advanced correction. Parameters of this correction are difficult to estimate, so we recommend using a tool to measure this correction (of course it can also be used for standard correction).

Correction is related to the orientation of the resulting PDF, it will probably be different for the portrait and landscape orientation of the sheet. Therefore, it may be useful to use the Change orientation option, the orientation of the resulting sheet will then be independent of the imposition sheet orientation and the correction will be correct. Correction can be saved for future use (including setting of the sheet rotation on export). The use of the correction depends on the printer: sometimes correction can also be applied to other material, paper size, and tray than what the correction was measured for, sometimes cannot. Therefore, these properties should be used in the correction name.

Use the Edit button to change the correction parameters. Changes you make here will be saved in the imposition file and used for printing, but will not be automatically saved to the "Saved settings" (if you use them). The character * after the setting name indicates a change from the stored values. The current setting can be saved by pressing the diskette button. Attention: As mentioned above, the correction is related to the PDF orientation. Therefore, the values ​​of the sheet rotation during export are also part of the correction. If you change the rotation in edit mode, this changed rotation will be understood as the default rotation for which the correction was measured and thus the original correction may still be invalid. However, if you change the rotation and the edit mode is inactive, the default rotation of the correction will not change, but the program will apply the correction to the current rotation (the original correction will still be valid). Pay attention to any information next to or below the text "Correction was created for sheet:" - if the correction was made for a different orientation or rotation of the sheet, a warning will be displayed here. You will find the same warning when exporting a PDF. Recommendation: in short, do not change the orientation in edit mode.

Measure tool for determining correction parameters

You need to specify the paper size for which we will measure the correction. It is important to enter the correct orientation (do not mistake height and width). The Generate Measuring PDF button will generate a PDF with marks. Print this PDF in the same way as production printing (on the same material, from the same tray, with the same paper orientation, etc.). The PDF has two pages, the marks on the first page are used to measure the front side, on the second side for the back side. If the nonprinting margin of your printer is larger and some measurement lines are not printed, increase the distance from the edge of the paper and generate and print the PDF again (always measure the PDF currently generated and printed). Then, measure the distance of the horizontal (or vertical) line from the edge of the paper as accurately as possible and enter the values ​​(A1, B1, C1 for the front side, A2, B2, C2 for the back side, or A1 to H1 and A2 to H2). The correction is then calculated by pressing the Calculate Correction button, you can see its values ​​in the Export Options form. You can see an example of a measuring PDF with measuring marks in the image.

When you export the resulting PDF, information about the correction used including any incompatibility warning is displayed if the correction is applied. Here you can select a different correction, turn it off or display Export Options.

Tips for correct correction:

Set the rotation of the sheet before measuring the correction (if you use the rotation). The correction is related to the orientation of the imposition sheet, the resulting PDF, and rotation. The same correction can be used when the sheet is rotated 180˚ from the measured sheet, but not when the sheet is rotated 90˚.

Check that the correction is correct. Sometimes, the printer randomly shifts the paper, and if the paper so shifted (differently shifted from the other) is used for measurement, the correction may be unusable and must be repeated. This is often the case, for example, with the first and last paper in the tray. The sheet to be measured should never be in the tray alone. It is difficult to load it exactly as a block of paper, and it is easy for the feeder to take it somewhat differently.

The accuracy of printing also depends on the paper size, whether it matches the imposition sheet and the paper size set on the printer.