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Creating PDF Files for Imposition

In the current PDF-based world, life is meant to be better. In reality, with more customers supplying PDFs, it doesn't always work out that way. But with a little knowledge you can ensure that PDFs are prepared correctly for imposition. Then you can process PDF files as successfully as PostScript files that were printed with application crop marks. 

Background Details

When loading a PDF file, Imposition Publisher looks for a TrimBox entry inside the PDF. If it doesn't find it, it uses the MediaBox entry, which is usually the same as the paper size selected in the Print dialog.

QuarkXPress Built-In PDF Engine

You can generate PDFs from QuarkXPress with the correct TrimBox by using the Export > Layout as PDF option from the File menu. 

This option, available in QuarkXPress 6 & newer use the built-in PDF engine, based on the Jaws PDF library. If you are using Quark 6.x, you need to install the PDFBoxer XT, a free XTension from Quark.

QuarkXPress - PDFs via PostScript

Whilst the direct export to PDF does work, you can also set up Quark to smoothly produce PDFs, via PostScript files and Adobe Acrobat Distiller.

QuarkXPress 7

In Quark Preferences, in the PDF pane, set the option to generate PostScript for later distilling and select an output folder. Within Distiller set this as a watched folder. Now, when you choose File > Export > Layout as PDF in Quark, a Distiller-created PDF will appear in the Distiller output folder.

With Quark 7, you must use the File > Export option (rather than print to file from the Print dialog). There were many changes to the print engine in Quark 7, one of which broke Acrobat Distiller's ability to recognise the trim page size from the print dialog generated PostScript files. But the File > Export option adds specific PostScript code that embeds the TrimBox into the resultant PDF file.

QuarkXPress 6

Download and install the PDFBoxer XTension. This puts the TrimBox entry into PDF files, whether you export directly to PDF or print to PostScript then distill. The PDFBoxer XTension works with Quark 6.1-6.5 (free updates from Quark 6.0).  

The functionality of PDFBoxer was rolled into QuarkXPress 7 so you don't need this XTension with Quark 7.

PDFBoxer downloads:  Mac   Windows

InDesign PDF Export

If you export to PDF, InDesign automatically embeds the TrimBox entry. You can also setup the Export command to export PostScript as described for Quark 7.

Other Applications

Not many other applications have a direct PDF export option which preserve the TrimBox.

Other possible solutions are to add the TrimBox manually, in Acrobat, using the Pages, Crop command (too fiddly) or by using another 3rd party Acrobat plugin, such as Enfocus PitStop. 

Alternatively, always print centred from the application onto oversized Page Setup and then adjust the trim page size in Imposition Publisher's File Info dialog. This works, but this is only recommended when other methods fail...