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I write manuals in word with a layout of 5 1/2 x 8 1/2. I typically PDF the word file. As far as printing it will be more cost effective to print 4 up on 11x17 (meaning 4 page one's on the same side and 4 page two's of the word manual on the reverse side) so that at the end of the print and cut I would have four manuals.

I was told that I need InDesign to do this. Could someone advise if this is infact what I need? I need to be able to give the printer a PDF in 11x17 format as described above. Will another program be more effective? Again I have the word manual PDF in 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 format can this be automated so to speak or will I have to cut and past each page....it a 400 page manual

Thanks for the help

If you're happy with the Word output, stick to it.

The positioning you refer to is commonly called "imposition". It is possible in InDesign, but not directly and/or automatically

If you're coaxed into using InDesign after all, do remember that most
likely you will have to re-do the entire manual.

Or jamjet could continue to do what he's been doing, import the PDF in one corner of an 11 x 17 page, and use step and repeat in ID to do the imposition, or import again into a second position and so forth. For anything over a couple of pages it would be well worth scripting.

But the short version is it would be less expensive, I think, to use Quite Imposing if the only reason for buying InDesign is to get 4-up. On the other hand, InDesign, once you know how to use it, will open up a lot of new possibilities for improving the look and flow of your manuals.

Peter

By the way, the notion that you have to do 4-up of the same page for efficiency is only partly correct.

I've done a number of directory books for local organizations, and tickets and the like that get consecutively numbered, and if you take the time to place the PDF pages, or other content, in order vertically through, for example 25 pages to make a 100 page book printed 4-up, you will wind up with a single copy of a 25 page file that you can print 4 times to get 4 copies. No other imposition is required.

When you trim you wind up with stacks of 25 page sections that can be collated/assembled as groups. This is fine for my in-house work since my cutter can't handle much more than an inch-thick stack. This does mean a bit more work after trimming so if you are doing hundreds the other method makes some sense for a commercial output service.

Peter

That can easily be done with InDesign.

I don't know why your particular printer is requiring you to do the
impossion, but, most printers actually prefer to do their own imposistion,
and match the n-ups to their particular equipment. When customers send us
impossed documents, as a matter of our workflow we cut it down to a single,
and impose it ourselfs. We then know the margins are proper and it will trim
out perfectly.

Larry

Many thanks for the comments. A few questions
Jongware- Quite Imposing just might be what I need

Peter Piper - When you say "it would be well worth scripting", I take it your saying rewrite or reformat the word doc in InDesign? It is more than a couple of pages...300 pages.

Larry - The printer is not requiring the 4 up. The pricing was given to me either 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 (the acutal doc format) , 2 up on 8 1/2 x 11 or 4 up on 11 x 17.
11 x 17 was the most cost effective, no collating or assembly and at the end of each were 4 manuals after cutting.
I will check with the printer again but I think It was up to me to produce the final 4 up PDF.

jamjet,

Pretty much anything that can be done in InDesign can be automated through the use of small programs called scripts. There are a few samples that are shipped with the application, and if you are so inclined you can write your own, or there are many other folks who would be happy to help for a small fee or even sometimes for free, depending on the complexity of the task. No programming skills are required to run scripts.

If you have to repeat the same step and repeat operation, for example, on all of the pages of a 100 page document, writing a script to do it automatically would save not only you time but assure that there was no mistake in placement on any page, nor that any page is missed.

Peter

Thanks Peter.....

Could this scripting be done with the Quite Imposing I am assuming not?

To script it as you mentioned in one of your previous post, I would purchase ID, PDF my word doc and write a script for ID to take my 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 PDF and place it 4 up on 11 x 17...correct?

Would this be the forum to ask someone for a script to do what I need if I was so enclined to do so? For a fee
Thanks

link to description of my mini_Impos script:
http://adobescripts.pl/modules/news/article.php?storyid=15

if you are interested - I can send you on priv version for ID CS3

robin