In this article, you will learn
- which functions are available in the Operation,
- for which steps you can use this Operation,
- what a use case can look like.
1. Introduction
As described in the article Creating a Production Configuration, you can add various Operations to a Production Configuration. This article provides the prerequisites and available options for the Create Impose Operation in detail.
The Create Impose Operation is only useful in combination with and before the following Operation:
- Create Production Job from Imposition – the Imposition is stored in the created Production Job.
The following Operations cannot be inserted before the Create Impose Operation:
- Create Impose with Auto Nesting – as this Operation only generates a Production Job from the Imposition.
- Create Production Job – as this Operation can only be used to send the Production Job to the printer.
- Create Production Job for Tracks – as this Operation can only be used to send the Production Job to the printer.
- Create Production Job from Imposition – as this Operation can only be used to send the Production Job to the printer.
- Send to Printer – as no further Operations can be applied to rendered data.
- Export Imposition Report – as this Operation is only used to create and export an Imposition Report after a Production Job has been created.
- Export Mounting Instruction – as this Operation can only be used to create and export a Mounting Instruction for Tiling after a Production Job has been created.
2. Function and Purpose of the Operation
The purpose of the Create Impose Operation is to optimally arrange Print Items on the defined Imposition Area prior to production. For this purpose, the Imposition Modes Bound Product, Nesting, Step & Repeat, Tiling, and Die Cut, can be used.
The objective is to efficiently prepare the Imposition for the Production Job, maximize substrate utilization, and optionally add the required Marks and Captions before transferring the Imposition to a Production Job.
2.1. Adding an Operation
To add the Create Impose Operation, proceed as follows:
- Open the corresponding Production Configuration via Automation > Production Configurations, and then switch to the Operations tab.
- Add the Create Impose Operation to the list of Operations. By default, the Operation is added at the end of the existing list.
- Move the Operation to the desired position within the configuration. Please pay attention to the placement restrictions described above, in particular those specifying after which Operations this step cannot be inserted.
2.2. Setting up the Operation
After adding the Create Impose Operation, you must configure the required parameters in the Production Configuration.
Figure 1: Add Production Configuration dialog with Create Impose Operation selected
The following options are available for configuring the Operation:
- Impose Options – in this section, you can configure the following settings:
- Preserve Processing Sequence [1] – the Print Items are processed sequentially in the order in which the Automation Jobs were created. If this option is disabled, Print Items may be processed at different speeds depending on the complexity of the files. As a result, they are not added to the Imposition in the order in which the Automation Jobs were created.
Please note that enabling this option may slightly slow down the overall processing time if the print data that needs to be processed has varying levels of complexity. Imposition can only be created once the print data is available in the required order for the Imposition. - Optimize [2] – the purpose of optimization is to place as many Print Items as possible on the defined Imposition size in order to reduce substrate consumption. Imposition optimization is only available for the Nesting Impose Mode and can be performed based on shape, as well as across multiple Imposition pages.
- Preserve Processing Sequence [1] – the Print Items are processed sequentially in the order in which the Automation Jobs were created. If this option is disabled, Print Items may be processed at different speeds depending on the complexity of the files. As a result, they are not added to the Imposition in the order in which the Automation Jobs were created.
- Options for Continuous Production of Print Items [3] – "Max. Processing Time" and "Degree of Utilization" options can only be applied to Print Items that are not processed as a bundle. The following settings are available:
- Max. Processing Time [4] – define the maximum Processing Time until the Nesting is created at the latest. The minimum Processing Time is 3 minutes to prevent an Imposition from being created for each individual Print Item.
- Degree of Utilization [5] – define the minimum degree of utilization that must be reached before an Imposition is created. This means that an Imposition containing the available Print Items is only created once either the defined degree of utilization has been reached or the minimum Processing Time has elapsed.
- Use Print Items up to Defined Impose Date [6] – if no value is entered here, all Print Items available in the queue for the Nesting Engine are processed. By clicking Edit [7] processing can be limited to Print Items with a defined Impose Date. In the dialog, select one of the placeholders Current Date or Current Date and Time.
Figure 2: Configure Placeholder dialog with a selected duration of 2 days
Description of Figure 2
By selecting the settings shown in Figure 2, all Print Items with an Impose Date between 12 June 2026 and 14 June 2026 that are available in the Nesting Engine queue are used for processing. This significantly increases the possibility of achieving a higher degree of utilization more quickly.
- Fill Imposition with Additional Print Items [8] – enable this checkbox to activate the Fill up Imposition with Print Items up to Defined Impose Date option and fill the Imposition with additional Print Items.
- Fill up Imposition with Print Items up to Defined Impose Date [9] – by enabling this option, the system checks again after the Max. Processing Time has elapsed or after the defined Degree of Utilization has been reached whether additional Print Items are available in the queue that can still be placed on the Imposition in order to further improve substrate utilization. For a Print Item to be considered, the following prerequisites must be met:
- The Print Item must be able to be placed completely on the Imposition, according to the defined number of copies.
- The Print Item must have an Impose Date that falls within the defined Imposition period. You can define the corresponding period by clicking Edit [10]. The period can be configured by selecting the Current Date or Current Date and Time placeholder in combination with a specified duration (see Figure 2).
Figure 3: Add Production Configuration dialog with the selected Create Impose Operation
- Options for Processing Print Items as a Bundle [15] – the selected option is only applied to Print Items that are processed as a bundle.
- Grouping Options [16] – the following options are available in the selection menu:
- Keep all Print Items Together – create an Imposition containing all Print Items included in the bundle.
- For every single-page and multipage Print Item – create an Imposition for each single-page and multipage Print Item. If multipage Print Items are splited, the individual pages of these Print Items remain grouped together in the Imposition.
- For Each Print Item – create a separate Imposition for each Print Item. If multipage Print Items are splited beforehand, a separate Imposition is created for each individual Print Item.
- Grouping Options [16] – the following options are available in the selection menu:
- Impose Configuration – in this section, you define the parameters for the Imposition. The following parameters are available:
- Max. Width and Max. Height [11] – define the maximum Width and Height of the Imposition. Please note that the entered values must match the values of the Substrate Definition in the selected Output Configuration of the subsequent "Create Production Job from Imposition" Operation.
- Roll Media with Roll Length [12] – enable this checkbox if the substrate used is Roll Media. You can then enter the Roll Length. Please note that in this case, the value specified in Max. Height is used as the reference value for the maximum Imposition length.
- Cutter [13] – select the required cutter device to define which cut file is transferred to which cutter device.
- Parameter Set [14] – select the required parameter set for the selected cutter device to apply the required Marks and Barcodes to the Imposition.
- Impose Mode [17] – select the desired Impose Mode. Depending on the available license, the following modes are available: Nesting, Step & Repeat, Tiling, Die Cut, and Bound Product.
- Impose Template [18] – select the required Impose Template. The selection menu only displays templates that match the selected Impose Mode. Please note that Automation Variables can also be used to select an Impose Template. This is particularly useful in combination with the Step & Repeat and Die Cut Impose Modes to dynamically select the required N-Up.
- Plate Template [19] – select the required Plate Template, particularly when using a N-Up.
- Sheet Template [20] – select the required Sheet Template to define the position of the imposition on the sheet and add the additional Sheet Marks, such as Color Control Stripes – Process Colors, Color Control Stripes – Spot Colors, Bobst Power Register, etc.
- Print Item Template [21] – select the required Print Item Template, which is frequently used for double-sided production.
3. Use Case
In the example described below, print data is uploaded to the workflow via Automation > Batch Processing, normalized and forwarded to an Imposition with a subsequent Production Job.
To implement this workflow, a Production Configuration with three Operations – Check-in Artwork and Normalize, followed by Create Impose and Create Production Job from Imposition – must be created in the defined order.
Proceed as follows:
- Select the menu entry Automation > Batch Processing.
- Create a new Production Configuration using the Add [22] icon.
Figure 4: Settings area of the Batch Processing menu at the start
- The Check-in Artwork and Normalize Operation, followed by the Create Production Job Operation, are already selected. Assign a descriptive Name [23] to the Production Configuration with optional Comment [24].
- Select the Check-in Artwork and Normalize Operation and choose a Check-in Preflight and Fixup Template [25].
Figure 5: Production Configuration for Batch Processing dialog with the two default Operations
- Remove the default Create Production Job Operation by clicking "x" [26].
- Use Add [29] to add the Create Impose Operation and move the Operation to the displayed position [29].
- In addition to the default settings, specify the following parameters:
- Max. Width [27] – for this example, enter the value 1000 mm.
- Max. Height [28] – for this example, enter the value 1000 mm.
- Impose Template [32] – for this example, select an Impose Template from the Multipage Output category.
- Use Add [30] to add the Create Production Job from Imposition Operation at the end of the Operations chain [31].
- Define the required parameters of the Create Production Job from Imposition Operation. In this case, the default settings were used, with a Random Number (GUID) (placeholder:
${global.random_guid}) being used for the Production Job Name. - Save the Production Configuration by clicking Save. You will then return to the Batch Processing dialog.
Figure 6: Production Configuration for Batch Processing dialog with the Create Impose and Create Production Job from Imposition Operations
- In the Execute Batch Processing [33] tab, use Upload Files [34] to add the required files from your local computer.
- Ensure that the Production Configuration [35] created in previous step is selected in the Production Configuration dropdown list.
- Click Start [36] to start the Batch Processing operation.
Figure 7: Settings area of the Batch Processing menu
- In the opened Batch Processing dialog, define the Name for the Batch Processing. The default name is the value that was configured under Administration > Settings > Dynamic Naming in Created via Batch Processing field.
- Click Insert Placeholder [37] to select additional placeholders from the Select Placeholder dialog. You can also enter the name manually.
- After selecting the desired placeholder, verify the Batch Processing information.
- Finally, click Start Batch Production [38].
Figure 8: Left: Batch Processing dialog; Right: Select Placeholder dialog with available placeholders
- Open the Batch Processing History tab [41].
- Use the search field to search for your username [39], which is used as the name for the Batch Processing Job.
- Click the job in the Batch Processing list [40] to open the detail view.
- Click the Create Production Job from Imposition badge [42].
Figure 9: Batch Processing History tab with created Automation Jobs
- In Process Overview of the Automation Job dialog, click the link [44] under Output [43] for the Name of the Production Job. In this case, the Name of the Production Job is the randomly generated GUID.
Figure 10: Process Overview of the Automation Job dialog with Automation Job tab
- The Production Job opens.
- Navigate to the Impose tab [45] to open the created Imposition.
Figure 11: Impose tab of created Production Job
4. Example Files
To reproduce described example, corresponding Print Items and exported Production Configuration are provided below. You can also find the .json file of the Production Configuration used here.
Article Update: $PRODUCT_NAME_WORKFLOW 2.2.0 – 08/2026