RE: Tabloid Style?

["Dov Isaacs" <isaacs@xxxxxxxxx>]

Quite frankly, I think you want to avoid ClickBooks and other such
hacks like the plague if you are doing any type of serious work.
Why? Because ClickBooks (and similar programs) present themselves
to your application program as "the driver" and for that matter,
a non-PostScript driver, that only accepts GDI commands. These
GDI commands are rearranged and/or modified such that the imposition
and/or booklets are created. However, all ability to use placed
EPS or to use any output PDF capabilities of FrameMaker (and this
also applies to other applications) goes down the tubes. (In other
words, ClickBooks did not rearrange PostScript!)

I did go and check out the FinePrint program. It would appear to
be similar in operation to ClickBooks. Very sophisticated and quite
a bit of functionality, but forget about using it for any serious
PostScript or PDF-based workflows. It is a GDI intercept driver.

Although you can, as Deborah points out, go through very clever
gymnastics with multiple and convoluted document threads, there is
a much cleaner approach.

I frequently need to do imposition and booklet making via FrameMaker
as well as other Adobe and non-Adobe applications. I have found that
the very best way of doing this is NOT to try to do it in the
authoring application. The successful formula I use requires the
purchase of a special Acrobat plugin and is as follows:

(1) In FrameMaker (or whatever application is in use), create "logical" 
pages in their individual page size, regardless of the paper size 
ultimately being printed upon. Your document should be in logical page
order. You may need to define a "custom page size".

(2) Create a PDF file from your document using the proper driver and 
Acrobat Distiller. You may need to create a custom page size both in 
the driver (for example, half-letter, 5.5"w x 8.5"h).

(3) Purchase the "Quite Imposing Plus" Acrobat plugin from Quite Software
<http://www.quite.com>. There is a version both for Windows and for Macintosh.
A less expensive subset version, "Quite Imposing," may fit your needs. Check
the specs on the Quite website.

(4) Use Quite Imposing Plus to create booklets. There is a wizard which
easily steps you through the process quite painlessly. The result is a new
PDF file with physical pages appropriate for the booklet you need, either
for printing on a laser printer (including a DocuTech) or having a digital
master for conventional offset printing.

(5) You can also use this plugin to do other imposition tasks such as n-up,
step-and-repeat, cut and registration marks, etc.

What is particularly nice about this approach is that it doesn't muck up
the creative process with FrameMaker or any other application. You work in
those applications with logical pages in logical order in their logical
page size and leave the issues of placement on paper to a later process.
This allows you to target your document for any number purposes without
having to change layout. For example, you can have a newletter for which
you need to make a booklet for physical printing and also want to post
on a web site as a PDF file. With this process, only one original document
is necessary. You do the targeting in Acrobat with plugins.

To answer the inevitable question, yes, this plugin does cost some money.
You can buy Quite Imposing for approximately US$300 and Quite Imposing Plus
for US$600 via the Adobe web site or Planet PDF. However, you should consider
that this software has tremendous utility, is exceptionally reliable, and 
that your professional time has tremendous value. Furthermore, the cost of 
comparably-featured PostScript-based pre-press imposition software can run 
over US$10,000. As such, I consider this particular software a true find
and bargain!

        - Dov



At 9/29/00 01:36 PM, Deborah Snavely wrote:
>Tabloid Style?Date: 28 Sep 2000 12:48:23 -0600
>Hello, Christina,
>
>What you want is called page imposition. It's usually expensive pre-press
>software (four figures and up). PageMaker (back at version 4.2) had a
>plug-in that let you do this from the app for $99. Unfortunately, no one's
>ever written such for Frame. 
>
>I've done it the hard way, by creating (for instance) a 16-page blank doc in
>which the two-column "pages" have two Frame 3-style separate flows that are
>NOT autoconnected, and that I hand-connected in that peculiar zig-zag flow
>to print a clean (not hand-assembled) "master" for photocopied publications.
>(Once assembled, I imported the actual content from the working file as a
>text inset and triple-checked my pagination.)
>
>A utility software program called ClickBooks used to exist for Windows & Mac
>(the Windows version had free download trial version) that was affordable. I
>never used it, but it was supposed to take your PS output and arrange pages
>as you wanted. It's still around but the site I found it on was pitched to
>churches and talked mostly about MS Word output.
>(http://www.bluesquirrel.com/clickbook/index.html?)
>
>A new item since last I searched is FinePrint, Windows only for multiple
>versions, cheap ($20-40 per license). Might do the trick.
>http://www.fineprint.com/ 
>
>Found a PDF-specific imposition product on a dual-language site in Europe,
>but it quoted 1500 UK pounds and that's the pre-press universe.
>
>Good luck,
>Deborah Snavely, Senior Technical Writer, Aurigin Systems, Inc.
>
>
>*********************************************************************
>From: Christina Gideon <christina.gideon@comtech-serv.com>
>Subject: Tabloid Style?
>
>Hello all!
>
>I have a question and I'm hoping that someone has dealt with this issue 
>before and will be able to help me.
>
>For printing purposes, I need to reposition the pages of my company's 
>newsletter. I want the first page to face the last page, the second page 
>to face the next to last page, and so on. I believe the style I'm trying 
>to achieve is called Tabloid Style. Can anyone help me?
>
>thanks!
>Christina


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