Ask your printer.

Usually, you don't have to worry about the physical layout your document will be printed, because various printers have various sizes of paper, and one can print more pages per sheet than another. That has its repercussions on post-press, such as folding and binding, and the client is usually (mercifully) spared that amount of technical detail.

By the way, you are describing a self-cover, 2-up saddle stitch document. You can print a reliable sample from within InDesign using the Print Booklet option, but the page to the left of pg. 1 will be blank -- ID doesn't "believe" in covers, it seems.

I would never supply a book with printers pairs, i.e, 8/1, 2/7, 6/3, 4/5, that's just asking for trouble.

Supply the file as you would read it, in readers pairs, with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Crop marks on each page and bleed where necessary.

It's up to the printer to paginate the file so that they print the right order for folding, trimming and finishing.

For starters you don't say how it's getting printed, digital or offset?

Secondly you will have to talk to your printer and find out exactly how they want it, particularly if it's offset.  The order of the pages is actually quite a minor point, there are a host of other things that will have to be done to get it ready for printing, usually a printer would do the pagination at the same time.  If you are committed to doing the imposition yourself, and the printer can confirm with you that you are actually saving money (get a quote with the difference, it may just be a sales person suggesting something impractical?) ask for a rough sketch of the layout, a competent prepress person will be able to do it in less than a minute for a 16 pager, (remember 14 pages is impossible ).

Jaberwokie1 wrote:

You just have to glue two pages together…

What kind of binding (saddle, wire, perfect)?

OK, impossible isn't the right word, but it's definitely impractical and unprofessional from a printers point of view!

I agree with Tony, find a new printer!  I'm not naive about this, I am a printer, and I don't expect my clients to trust me blindly, I supply proofs so both of us are covered.  There is no way that imposition is anything other than the printers job.  How can it be when there is such a huge and vast range of ways that they need their files because of different combinations of pre press, printing and finishing machinery?

Industry standard these days is either a packaged Indesign file (preferably with a reference PDF included) or a properly prepared PDF, in single pages in numerical order.  And if you're getting a print job without proofs or a very good relationship with your printer you are going to get burned.  A proof is the only way to CYA.

Hey that's a bit harsh, our Pantone book is only 6 years old

There is a sect of print designers who definitely feel "that's not my job" or "that's not my problem,"

There are some times when it's really *not* your job. You can't control everything the printer does. Relax...and check the proofs, really, really carefully. That part really is your job.

Ken

As I said earlier, if you do your own imposition and send it to the printers, they'll likely disassemble it and reassemble to their liking, and it will cost you more in the end.

No need to do the imposition, when you asked for a quote this was already included in the price. Save yourself the hassle, let the pros do it how they need it done, not the way you think it should be done.

Strategic Dave

I work in a prepress environment and this is a very important issue. Assuming you are sending files to a service provider, and you are not printing and cutting and folding yourself, this is what I recommend:

1. InDesign document size should match page size of book

2. Pages should be in reader sequence

3. Your finished stitched imposition proof provided by the printer should be in reader sequence. Flipping through that should follow same order as document. No confusion that way.

4. Avoid making INDD document size the spread size. Make it the page size with facing pages enabled. Then it will look like the finished product. Don't oversize the pages or add marks, it's not necessary.

Do you have folio page numbers actually printing? If so it is best if these numbers match the document page numbers. That is also an important issue. There is always a lot of confusion when someone mentions page 3, and it's page 5 of the document.

This discussion is good and a very important one to prepress folks everywhere. I have made many incorrect proofs, thinking the file is in reader's spreads when in fact it was in printer spreads. Stupid me, but it happens.

Years ago spreads had to be broken up into printer spreads in the native document layout program. So many designers think they are being helpful when they set a file up in printer spreads. But these days the pages get RIPped and trapped individually, and the pages get imposed in a separate program that automates pagination, and also makes adjustments for creep.

I am glad you brought this up it's a very important discussion.

Glad you asked. I usually change the section start at the beginning of the document, just add a prefix C. So first 2 pages, Outside front and inside front cover are C1 and C2.

Then the text, on the third page of document - new section start - NO PREFIX, START NUMBERING at 1.

The last two pages in document, one more section start- inside back, start numbering with 3, prefix C. Last page is C4.

That''s how I set up text + cover. But if the book is a selfcover you may not have to do that.

Sometimes you have i, ii, iii, etc, I just use section starts. My doc pages match my printed folios, no confusion. I always get rid of that default prefix InDesign wants to add (Sec1:) I don't like it, it's unnecessary

You will run into problems if the right hand pages are even numbers. But that's bad design and incorrect and asking for trouble

One thing I like to tell customers: please include printed page numbers. Then anyone can figure out the page order. There is nothing worse than a long book with no page numbers printed.