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| Thread ID: 64110 | 2005-12-03 08:58:00 | Freeware "Imposition" software for Windows | somebody (208) | Press F1 |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 409852 | 2005-12-03 08:58:00 | Running WinXP Home SP2 What I'm looking for is what printing firms call "imposition" software, which basically sorts out document pages in such a way that when they are printed, they will be in the correct order to bind/staple into booklets. eg. I have a 35 page PDF file, with pages in order of 1-35. I want to save paper, and print the pages so there are 2 on a side of A4, and to use both sides of the sheet. So basically, to fit 4 pages onto one sheet of paper, but I want to do it in such a way that once it's all printed, I can fold it in half, staple it in the middle, and get a booklet with pages 1-35 in the correct order. In the past, when doing stuff with Word documents, I've manually created everything inside text boxes and moved them around to put them in the right order, however I have seen this software before in some magazine, but I can't remember what it was called. I have searched google up and down with no luck (they are all very expensive, yet I know a free one does exist). So what I'm after is a freeware or open-source "imposition" software, preferably the type which you can either print to, and let it figure itself out with the printer, or if absolutely need be, a program which will export a PDF or something which I have to manually print. Any ideas? |
somebody (208) | ||
| 409853 | 2005-12-03 09:34:00 | If you have the ink and paper... try this with a few pages to see if it works. It requires Adobe Reader 7 |
bob_doe_nz (92) | ||
| 409854 | 2005-12-03 09:34:00 | Hi Somebody. Have you tried Word itself. I have Word 2003. In File > Page Setup and on the Margins tab half way down the window at Pages, scroll through the offering to Book Fold option. You can select sheets per book and up to 40 pages per book. Easy to follow - if I'm reading your original correctly. Give it a try with 4/8/12 pages to start with. I have produced booklets down to A6 size. | Scouse (83) | ||
| 409855 | 2005-12-03 11:38:00 | I believe Open Office 2.0 has the sort of thing you want, haven't delved in too deeply yet because I haven't installed it on my work machine yet. Another programme you might like to try is Scribus, which is Open Source document layout/desktop publishing software. Not sure if they have completed the port to Windows yet, otherwise you can use Cygwin. |
Murray P (44) | ||
| 409856 | 2005-12-03 11:50:00 | BTW, Bob Doe, who's HELLO MISS BANNY PANTS!? If she's more risque than Miss Hotpants (manoloshoeblog.com), I'd like to get to know her. :D | Murray P (44) | ||
| 409857 | 2005-12-03 19:56:00 | If you have the ink and paper... try this with a few pages to see if it works. It requires Adobe Reader 7 Try what??? Cheers guys - I was hoping for a printer-driver type thing so I could do it no matter what program I printed out of. I know such a program exists, but I just can't find a free one. |
somebody (208) | ||
| 409858 | 2005-12-03 20:58:00 | Try what??? Cheers guys - I was hoping for a printer-driver type thing so I could do it no matter what program I printed out of. I know such a program exists, but I just can't find a free one. Imposition software is very expensive, you could download a trial version of Indesign and use that, works pretty good for something simple, just make sure you fold up and number a dummy first |
plod (107) | ||
| 409859 | 2005-12-03 22:05:00 | And remember that with a document of the size you mentioned and folded, you may need some gutter and you'll possibly get a touch of publishers creep. Probably need access to a guillotine, | Scouse (83) | ||
| 409860 | 2005-12-03 23:00:00 | I'm not publishing stuff as such, so I don't mind if the booklet books a bit chunky when folded and stapled (a 35pg document only uses 9 sheets of paper, so it's still relatively thin). I'm only doing it so that I can save paper when printing out long documents for personal reference (save a tree!!!) - this year alone, I have gone through about 6 reams of paper - most of which ended up going out with the paper recycling a few months later. Any ideas? I've found a free program, but it's for Mac. I've also found several (paying) Windows ones. Surely there is some freeware out there - the software can't be that complex to write - I saw an algorithm on a website last night, and it seemed pretty easy. |
somebody (208) | ||
| 409861 | 2005-12-04 00:22:00 | ... - the software can't be that complex to write - I saw an algorithm on a website last night, and it seemed pretty easy. Famous last words. I've heard that sort of thing from computer "science" students, too. Writing software is easy if you've got the right sort of mind. Writing (significant) software which works reliably and consistently isn't. It never has been. It never will be. That's why commercial software which has to work is expensive. That's why most large software projects collapse under their own weight. That's why the remainder suffer from the "two out of three" syndrome: "You can have it: delivered on schedule, on budget, and working (sort of). Pick any two". That's even without a project "manager" who asks for 4000 changes to the specification before the first version is produced. |
Graham L (2) | ||
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