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.

CMYK colors and spot colors can be used for custom objects. You can use spot colors that are used in PDF for imposition or user-defined colors. The program does not include libraries with color definitions and their appearance, but can take these colors from PDF for imposition – all the spot colors used in the PDF for imposition are available in the spot color list. These colors taken from PDF cannot be edited, they can only be used in different densities.

It is also possible to add a user-defined spot color. It is necessary to specify name of this color and it is also necessary to define its appearance (for displaying on the monitor and composite printing) by entering equivalent CMYK values. The user-defined color is shown in the spot color list with a prefix "User defined:" and its appearance (CMYK values) can be modified. However, if it is imported a PDF for imposition containing a spot color with the same name later (after defining this color), the color used in the PDF is used as the color definition (the PDF color definition always takes precedence).

Available only with Variable Data Printing Extension.

It is possible to add 1D (eg. EAN) and 2D (eg. QR code) barcodes using custom objects. With this feature, many different types of codes can be added to the output PDF. This code can be constant (eg. to control the print production process) or variable (as a part of the resulting printed matter). You can set the size, color and other code parameters.

The individual property groups are available using Value, Type, and Appearance tabs.

The Custom value for code generation you can enter to the text field. This value can be static or you can use a combination of text and fields from a data file (similar to a text object). You can show box for easy editing this value. Another option is to use the name of the input PDF, either the whole name or a part from beginning or from end. The last option makes it easy to use single field value from a data file field for code generation. It is possible to set the number of repetitions of the same record from the data file, whether the same record will be used on the back side, whether pages for imposition are repeated from the beginning if all pages are imposed or if only the last page is repeated. It is possible to set rotation of the code and whether it will be rotated 180° on the back.

Select the second tab to set the code type and its properties. These properties are different for individual codes, some codes do not have any properties. The last tab allows you to set scale, height of some linear codes and their border (these parameters are set as a multiple of the module size – the smallest element size – lines, spaces, etc.). Some codes need white space (in background color) left and right, you can set also border around the code in background color or in code color. For some codes (e.g., EAN), you can add human readable text.

Different code types require different values ​​– some must be only numeric, some can contain ASCII characters, others require a fixed length, etc. The GS1 codes require the AI ​​identifier entered using [square bracket] notation. The additional code for the EAN code can be entered behind the main value after the + sign. Check digit is calculated automatically, but can be entered manually too (for most codes that contain a check digit). If the code cannot be generated on the currently displayed sheet, the warning triangle with an error description is displayed right bottom (click on it or in bubble help).

Supported codes: Australia Post, Aztec Code, Aztec Runes, Channel Code, Codabar, Codablock-F, Code 11, Code 128, Code 16K, Code 2 of 5 Data Logic, Code 2 of 5 IATA, Code 2 of 5 Industrial, Code 2 of 5 Interleaved, Code 2 of 5 Matrix, Code 32, Code 3 of 9 (Code 39), Code 3 of 9 Extended , Code 49, Code 93, Code One, Data Matrix ECC200, Deutsche Post, DotCode, Dutch Post KIX Code, EAN, Facing Identif. Mark (FIM), Flattermarken, Grid Matrix, GS1-128 (UCC.EAN-128), GS1 DataBar, ITF-14, ISBN, Japanese Postal Code, Korean Postal Code, LOGMARS, Maxicode, MicroPDF417, Micro QR Code, MSI Plessey, NVE-18, PDF417, Pharmacode, Pharma Zentralnumber (PZN), PLANET, PostNet, QR Code, Royal Mail 4 State (RM4SCC), Telepen, Plessey Code, UPNQR, UPC A, UPC E, USPS OneCode, DAFT Code, including formats used in health industry.

Short description of barcode types you can find in the application documentation.

Only available in version with Variable Data Printing Extension.

The practical use of the Variable Data Printing Extension consists of two steps: the first is the data source definition and the second is the use of data from that source. A file containing records (rows in Excel for example) can be used as a data source, where each record contains individual fields (Excel columns for example). The file must be in text format, individual records and fields must be separated by specified characters. These delimiters are defined and the data file can be selected in the Data Import Palette. A typical file is .csv, where the fields can be delimited by a comma (or a semicolon or a tab) and the records by end of line. This format can be easily exported, for example, from Excel or from most database applications. Fields and records can be also delimited by other characters. It is possible to use a .txt file exported from Word for example, where individual fields can be delimited by enter and records by two enters.

Data from this source can be used in Custom Objects – in text, as a PDF or image name or as a source for barcode generation. You can use references to individual data file fields (these references are replaced with the data from a file when displaying and exporting), as well as the field you can use as the image name. Data can be used in Variable Data, Numbering & Custom Objects mode. You can insert the text using the AB button on the Info Palette. After clicking the Properties & Var. data button the Text Properties Palette appears. The text can be combined with [FIELD1], [FIELD2], etc., inserted using the drop-down list (however, you can also write them manually). Field names can also be used instead of field numbers (if these names are in the first record of the data file) in the syntax [FIELD:fieldname]. Names can be selected from the list when the data file is open and Show field names... is activated. [HIDEIFEMPTY‑>] and [<‑HIDEIFEMPTY] can be used to hide part of the text when the data field is empty. If the data file contains names of images or PDF files, use the PDF button on the Info Palette and select a field containing this file name. Variable PDF files are expected in the same folder as the data file or in the folder specified using Default PDF dir on the Data Import Palette (if data field does not contain path but file name only).

You can use several references to the data file (text objects or custom PDFs), e.g. one for an image, another for a name, another for an address, etc. Of course, for the correct synchronization of values used in the objects the same object properties must be set – assignment to positions or to the sheet and the display properties must be the same, while using the two-sided sheet must also be suitably set displaying on the front and back, on the front only or on the back only.

You can use two repeat modes of pages for imposition if there are not enough pages to use all records from the data file. In that case, either only the last page is repeated, or after the last page is used, the first page is used as the following, followed by all other pages for imposition (imposition will start from begin again).

ProHot version only: if you use variable data in the template for hotfolders, there are two options for using a data file: if the file is selected on Data Import Palette (at the time of creating a template for the hotfolder), this selected file is used (it is searched at the specified path, in the watched folder and in the default PDF folder). If the file is not selected or found, a *.csv or *.txt file with the same name as the PDF for imposition (or control XML) is expected in the watched folder or in the default PDF folder (and if even this file is not found, the first found *.csv or *.txt from the default PDF folder or from the watched folder will be used, possibly with another name). Use Clear button on the Data Import Palette to clear the file selection (if you use different data file names for impositions), the default PDF folder can also be defined on this palette. This data file should be saved before the imposition begins (program waits for the file max. 30 s after saving PDF for imposition). If you use a XML control file, you can also use it to define the variable data file.

See the example of the use here.

This option is intended to speed up printing on digital machines if it is possible to combine background PDFs and PDFs with variable data (numbering for example). Terms "master", "form" or "powerform" are usually used to refer to background PDFs with digital printing machines. The possibility of using background PDFs is, however, a feature of the given printing machine and Montax Imposer cannot affect it. It is only able to prepare the background PDF if your machine has this feature. This background PDF (for example with a ticket design) is processed by the machine only once and it is merged with the variable PDF during printing, whose processing is usually much faster, because it only contain for example ticket numbers. The resulting printing speed is subsequently much faster, than if all data were processed for each sheet again and again.

Separate export is only available if numbering is used and this numbering is placed above the pages for imposition (option "Background" is not activated). One PDF containing background can be generated in this case (i.e. pages for imposition, marks and custom objects with the option "Background" activated) and another PDF containing variable data – numbering and custom objects placed above the pages for imposition. Only the first sheet of the imposition will be exported as a background even if the second or other sheet contains different pages for imposition. PDF containing variable data (numbering) will be exported for all sheets if the imposition. It is possible to chose if both PDF will be exported or only the background or variable one.

If you want to export pages for imposition together with variable data (numbering) in a single PDF use option Export PDF.

Commonly used and automatically placed marks can be activated on the Marks Palette. The Numbering and custom objects function can be used to add special marks, numberings and other objects and also to modify their placement and appearance. Unlike marks activated on the Marks Palette, these custom objects are not limited by set (or automatically calculated) imposition margin. Note: Barcodes can only be used with VDP extension.

It is possible to add and edit these objects, texts and numbers in a mode which is activated by the "Edit numberings and objects" button on the Marks Palette, using the icon on the Main Toolbar or in menu Edit. The appearance of the horizontal Info Palette will adjust and make working in this mode possible.

Numbers can be added to a sheet. These numbers can be used for example to number tickets or as page numbers. It is also possible to add more objects and set their size, color and placement in detail. These objects can be moved to on subsequent sheets or groups, so they can be used for example as collation marks. You can also add an unlimited amount of custom PDF files (or images) which can contain any mark, strip, background etc.

Objects can be added by pressing the "+" button or directly by a button with a symbol of the object. The added object will be highlighted by a red rectangle on the sheet; it will be selected and can be modified. You can change the type of the selected object by clicking a button with a symbol of a different object. (Note: if an object is selected, its type will be changed by clicking the symbol, if no object is selected a new one is added.)

A tool used to save selected objects for further use is located under the objects buttons. Simply type the name of the object used for further identification into the field and press the save symbol. The object will be saved together with all its settings. Later it can be selected anytime from the dropdown list and added to the sheet. It can also be removed from the list by the trash bin button. (Note: one or more objects can be saved under one line in this list; the somewhat similar list on the Marks Palette saves the settings of all marks and objects used in the imposition.)

List of objects on the top left part of the palette will be activated after placing an object on the sheet. Objects can be later selected in this list and edited. It is possible to remove objects from impositions by clicking the trash bin button (next to +). Object editing mode can be closed by clicking the OK button on the palette or by clicking the "Edit numberings and objects" button again. If there are multiple objects in the imposition and some are below pages for imposition (they have Background option active) and others not, the objects bellow pages and above pages are separated by ---Pages--- label for better orientation in the list. The objects with a lower number are below others (the number is the order of placement on the sheet).

You can select the object using a mouse, you also can draw rectangle on the work-area (all objects in the selected area will be selected). It is possible to use shit or ctrl to add or remove objects to the selection. If two or more objects are selected, it is not possible to change parameters of objects, it is only possible to duplicate, copy, move and save selected objects (as one item in the list Saved objects) for later use.

Objects can be assigned either to sheet, to trimbox of the sheet or to positions. If an object is assigned to positions, it can be assigned either to all or only selected ones. To select positions you can use the "Select positions" button. After activating this button positions for object placement can be selected, SHIFT can be used to add more positions to the selection and CTRL to add or remove positions from the selection. Note: strips and side-lay marks can only be assigned to sheets.

The "Aligned to" control feature is used to set where the distance in X and Y fields are measured from. Selecting the left column states X as a distance between the left margin of the sheet (or position) and the left side of the object. For the middle column it is the distance between the center of the sheet (position) and the center of the object and for the right column X is the distance between the right margin of the sheet (position) and the right side of the object (ascender and descender are counted in the distance for text and numbers). Negative values (for left and right columns or the top and bottom line) indicate the direction outwards from the sheet or position, which means that objects can be placed out of the position they are tied with (can be used for example to add file names under positions if you want to create a list of images including their names – all you need to do is set suitable sheet margins and spacing between lines). Object placement can be adjusted either by setting the values in the X and Y fields or by dragging on the working area. Exceptions are the first two types of the strip mark – they are always aligned to the middle and their distance from sheet margins can be set which affects the strip length as well.

Objects can be moved after activating the button (next to Distance label) either on a subsequent sheet or on the next group (signature). This way objects can be used to mark signatures for book working (collation marks). Only in the case of multiple impositions: the shift of objects between individual impositions can be linked. If a variable shift is set for an object in the first (left) imposition, it is possible to select “Link to previous” in the next (right) imposition. The following dialogue will display all objects from previous (left) impositions, which have a variable shift set. Selecting an object from this list will use all parameters of the object in the current imposition. This link affects all parameters: if the object in the previous (left) imposition is changed (e.g. shifted) this change will also affect all linked objects. This link only works from left to right – If a linked object in the second or further imposition is edited, the link is canceled and the changes will not be transferred. Only variable shift will remain linked. Objects will be linked automatically if there is an object with a variable shift in the current imposition and another imposition is added (by clicking the + on the "More impositions" navigation panel) – the imposition including its objects will be copied and the objects with variable shift are linked. It is also possible to copy single objects using the context-menu – when multiple impositions are used the “Copy to imposition” option is available. If an object already has a variable shift set and there is another imposition on the right, option “Copy to imposition and link movement” will be available.

Context menu of the object (right-click in the custom object edit mode) also allows other manipulations with objects: objects can be placed to the top (above pages for imposition) or to the bottom (below pages for imposition) based on the checkbox "Background" on the Info Palette, but you can also use the menu to change the relative order of the objects (moving them up or down). This menu can also be used to duplicate and copy selected object or paste it to the imposition. You can also add a new object (at the cursor position), delete the object or invoke the edit menu.

You can also show actual coordinates of the selected object using context menu. Coordinates of the left top edge of the object are displayed on the left side. The actual distance (including move of the objects) is displayed on the right side but only if it is activated move object with sheet or signature. The Search largest/shortest/incorrect option is only available in the version with VDP extension and is active for text, number, PDF object or barcode. This makes it possible to find potentially problematic objects with missing or too long data. The appearance of this palette varies depending on the type of object and the properties found. The item Go to object is displayed only if the selected object is not visible (it is outside the displayed area or is not displayed on the current sheet) and adjust the view or current sheet so that the object is visible.

Other Info Palette items vary by object type: it can show width, height, length or it is not displayed at all. For rectangular objects it is possible to set the size according to position or sheet. This way you can create for example a frame around the position. For line objects you can use the option "Depends on trim" and the length of the line will change according to the size of the position or sheet.

The following options define object display possibilities – on the front, on the back or on both sides. There is also an option to show objects on all sheets, only on the first or last sheet or only on the first or last sheet of a group. You can also use the "Custom" option, which will display two fields. The first one is used to input the number of sheet where the object will be displayed for the first time, and the second one is used to set the number of sheets, after which it will be displayed again.

The following control features differ according to object type. They can be used to set fill color and object lines (according to the type of the object you can also display only the fill, line or none of these). The option "White margin" adds a white outline to the object to make it easily noticeable on a dark background. The color can be black, registration (in all colors 100%), it can be set by CMYK values or "none" can be selected which is used, for example, for rectangles or ellipses if they are supposed to only have a fill or only a line. You can also use spot colors (Pantone for example).

Further options (if they are displayed) are specific for certain objects:

Numbering allows you to choose a font and its size, to rotate a number in 90 degree increments and to rotate the number on the front of the sheet by 180 degrees. It is also possible to select the "Start" of the numbering (the first used number) and the "End" of it. The number is increased by "Increment" value in each step, but you can set it to be the same on the front and on the back. It is possible to set the number of repeating of each number (if the same front/back is activated, back is not counted to this number). If "End" is not zero, numbering ends by reaching this value. If there are not enough pages for imposition to reach this number, the pages will be repeated until the "End" value is reached. For example to print tickets all you need is a PDF with only one side, which will be repeated for all tickets (of course, for two-sided tickets you need two pages – front and back). If the "End" value is zero, no pages will be added and only pages for imposition are numbered (this can be used to add page numbers). The next field can be used to add "zero" digits so that the resulting value has a set amount of total digits and also to add characters before or after the number. You can show menu for repeat mode using the last button. It is possible to use two modes for page repeating if there are not enough pages to reach the end number. In this case only last page can be repeated or after the last page is used, the first page will be re-used and then all other pages will be followed again (the imposition will start from begin again). If you use multiple impositions and auto assignment to more impositions, this setting is common to all impositions.

The next option is to add a text on the sheet. Of course, the font and size of the text can be set, together with its rotation and whether it is supposed to be rotated by 180° on the back. You can add multiple symbols to the text in the field (in square brackets, selected from the drop-down list, but they can also be entered manually). Symbols and the text can be combined in any way and the symbols can be removed from the text if necessary; for an overview and meaning of symbols see program documentation. This type of object can therefore be used to create your own sheet description as well as labels for imported images. Using the button Properties you can enter text in multiple lines and you can also set its properties. If you use Variable data Printing Extension references to individual data fields from the data file can be used.

The PDF option is used to add any PDF file (or image) containing a custom object (or image) or anything else. The object can be rotated in 90° steps and it can be rotated by 180° or mirrored on the back side. For Variable Data Printing Extension only: as a name of the file a field from the data file can be used.

There are two pre-made side-lay marks and it is also possible to use a custom PDF with your own mark. The rotation options are the same with the previous object.

Strip to adjust and verify color balance can also be customized or you can use your own. The standard options are CMYK rectangles which can be supplemented by other colors if they are present on the sheet. The built-in strip is aligned to the center of the sheet with its longer dimension.

There are three kinds of the cross mark. Rectangle, line and ellipse objects do not have other options.

Barcodes can only be used with VDP extension.

This feature is only available in Montax imposer ProHot Standalone Application.

Montax Imposer Hotfolders Monitor continuously monitors hotfolders and if it finds new files for imposition it generates a PDF out of them based on a template created or selected in the main application. Hotfolders monitor provides a quick overview of folders and imposition progress. The user can see if the program is ready for imposition, if there is an imposition in progress or for example if it is necessary to wait for files to finish copying. A warning is shown if the target PDF is opened and the imposition can therefore not be made, or if a fatal error occurs during PDF export. This can happen for example when the file could not be created because there was not enough disc space. If there are any errors in the imposition itself the PDF is created and the errors are listed in a log.

Monitor behavior can be set in the settings menu – you can set the Monitor window position to be always on the top, automatic Monitor start can be set on windows start-up and you can also set Monitor to start minimized if you do not need to see its window. Monitor can also be minimized to system tray so that it takes the least space of your screen. Depending on your operating system you can set its icon to be visible at all times or only if the output PDF could not be created. Monitor can also be used to start the main application, where hot folders can be set.

Montax Imposer Standalone Application:

Windows XP Service Pack 3 or later Windows 32 or 64 bit (Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10, Windows 11)

Min. 2 GB of RAM

Dual-Core Processor or higher

Montax Imposer Adobe Acrobat Plug-in:

Windows XP Service Pack 3 or later Windows 32 or 64 bit (Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10, Windows 11)

Adobe Acrobat 6 or later, 32 or 64 bit version (incl. Acrobat DC), not Adobe Reader

Min. 2 GB of RAM

Dual-Core Processor or higher