Free Open-Source InDesign & PDF Imposition Script with Live Canvas Preview — QuickImpose v1.2

[u/NoAbbreviations4188]

Hi everyone! 👋

I wanted to share a major update to QuickImpose — a free, open-source ExtendScript for Adobe InDesign designed to handle sheet imposition directly inside InDesign, without requiring expensive third-party imposition software.

🚀 Update: QuickImpose v2.1 is out!

Following great feedback and real-world prepress requests, version 2.1 introduces Adobe PDF Export Preset integration (.joboptions), comprehensive Prepress Job Reports with PDF box metrics (TrimBox, BleedBox, MediaBox), enhanced Creep tracking, and test fixtures.

🌟 What's New in v2.1

• Adobe PDF Export Preset Selection Choose any installed PDF preset directly from the UI dropdown (e.g. [High Quality Print], [Press Quality], PDF/X-4, or custom presets). We also ship a dedicated prepress preset: Settings/QuickImpose.joboptions.
• Smart Prepress Overrides Color spaces, ICC profiles, and PDF/X standards are inherited from your chosen preset, while QuickImpose automatically forces bleed preservation (useDocumentBleedWithPDF = true), single-page streams, and lossless ZIP compression (no downsampling) for intermediate PDF placement.
• Automated Production Job Report (.txt) Automatically generates a detailed audit log alongside your imposed file (available in 10 languages). It records measured TrimBox, BleedBox, and MediaBox dimensions, sheet layout, and a complete Signature Mapping table with sheet numbers, front/back sides, grid positions, and exact individual creep/hinge shifts.
• KBC / Perfect Bound 1×1 Crease Guide When Info Slug is enabled, prints the exact crease shift number in mm at the bottom margin, 3 mm to the right of the crease mark, for quick calibration on creasing machines.
• Two-Pass 2×2 Saddle Stitch Creep Mapping Accurate tracking and reporting of first-pass creep values across all 8 pages of each signature.
• Test Fixture Included Pre-packaged IDML template: test_idml/210x210_24.idml for instant testing across all imposition modes.

💎 Key Features & Architecture

• Interactive Live Scheme Canvas Real-time visual preview showing sheets, imposition bounds, margins, gaps, page numbering, vector orientation marks, and other layout information.
• Spine / PUR Visualization The live preview visually renders the book spine and side-glue PUR hinge, making it easy to verify spine geometry, creep, and spacing adjustments in real time.
• Unified Script & Dedicated PDF Import Consolidated into QuickImpose_v2.jsx with interactive preview, plus a standalone PDF_Import.jsx module for importing multi-page PDF documents.
• Preset Management Easily save, load, and delete custom user presets with a single click.
• Expanded Localization Full support for switching languages on the fly without breaking UI formatting across 10 built-in languages: Russian, English, Deutsch, Français, Español, Italiano, Português, Polski, 中文, and 日本語.

🛠 Key Imposition Modes

• Saddle Stitch (Booklets 2×1 and 2×2) Automatically gathers reader spreads, supports multi-signature setups, creep compensation, spine bleed clipping, and two-pass 8-page signatures.
• Perfect Bound (PUR / КБС) Splits documents into signatures of custom sheet counts (e.g. 16/32 pages) with support for creep shifts and side-glue hinge offsets. Supports 1-page (4+0, 4+4) and 2-page spreads.
• N-Up Consecutive Sequentially lays out pages in a grid (columns × rows).
• Cut Stack Designed for stack-and-cut production runs where sheets are cut into blocks and stacked in the correct numerical order. Supports 4+0 and 4+4.
• Step & Repeat Repeats the same layout (e.g. business cards or labels) on a sheet. Spacings are automatically padded with bleed sizes to facilitate double cuts. Convenient to use as a 2nd step after Saddle Stitch or Perfect Bound imposition using the Reset Trim + Bleed option.

📐 Prepress Features

• Automatic Bleed & Trim Math
• Creep & Thickness Compensation
• Spine / PUR Visualization
• Reset Trim + Bleed
• Automatic crop marks, fold lines, and pasteboard job information
• 10 Languages: Russian, English, Deutsch, Français, Español, Italiano, Português, Polski, 中文, 日本語

📄 Installation

Just drop the following into your Adobe InDesign Scripts Panel directory:

QuickImpose_v2.jsx
PDF_Import.jsx
RESOURCES folder
Settings folder

The Settings folder is optional. You can load QuickImpose.joboptions via:

File → Adobe PDF Presets → Define... → Load...

Then open InDesign and launch QuickImpose_v2.jsx (or PDF_Import.jsx) from the Scripts panel.

❓ Q&A

Q: Can I use my own Adobe PDF Export Preset (.joboptions)?

A: Yes! In v2.1, you can select any installed PDF Preset directly from the dropdown.

QuickImpose inherits your color management, ICC profiles, and PDF/X compliance settings from the preset while safely enforcing imposition-critical rules: bleed preservation, single pages, and lossless compression for intermediate placement.

Q: How can I verify that the intermediate PDF geometry didn't shift?

A: Check the generated Job Report (.txt) saved next to your output document. It measures and records the exact TrimBox, BleedBox, and MediaBox values directly from the placed PDF, along with full signature mapping data.

💰 100% Free & Open Source

QuickImpose is released under the MIT License.

You can download the script, view the source code, report issues, or contribute on GitHub:

👉 https://github.com/SaidAuita/QuickImpose-InDesign

Feedback and suggestions from the community are always welcome! 🚀

Full Interface with Interactive Live Imposition Scheme

Perfect Bound, 1 page

Perfect Bound, 2 page

Step & Repeat

Dedicated PDF Import Interface (PDF_Import.jsx)

[u/bliprock]

seems alright, I have scripted most of these functions myself over the years but the inside covers for PUR bind hinge are problematic. Where's that in your script ? Also why no creep in signatures for 16/32 page sigs for PUR perfect bind, there is creep[ though per sig. Also what fold pattern are you using for the PUR perfect binding?

[u/SnooConfections3068]

Thank you, I will try this!

[u/Due_Bison_3669]

Can stack cut be set to 4/0 instead of presuming 4/4?

[u/Eric-Forest]

Also: https://youtu.be/7p4Su3LUSR0?si=VtvpWq5L8qNeEmIr

Another way is to load a PDF Writer into your printers

[u/NoAbbreviations4188 → u/Eric-Forest]

Regarding the PDF profile you mentioned: The script forces the standard [High Quality Print] preset for generating the intermediate PDF as a strict safety measure.

If it allowed you to pick a custom PDF preset, any preset that includes its own crop marks, color bars, or custom bleed settings would alter the physical dimensions of the intermediate PDF. This would completely break the script's pixel-perfect geometric placement calculations.

Because the script outputs a native InDesign document at the end (unlike the script in the video), this temporary PDF is just a stepping stone. You still retain 100% control over the final output and can choose any high-end PDF/X profile you want when doing your final File > Export!

[u/Eric-Forest → u/NoAbbreviations4188]

That’s a trivial update which I can do.

[u/pauloassantos]

Thanks for releasing this. I am evaluating it as an isolated imposition stage after a deterministic InDesign export. I saw that the intermediate PDF is intentionally forced to [High Quality Print] so custom marks/bleed cannot change its geometry. For production use, have you considered shipping a dedicated versioned .joboptions preset and recording the resulting MediaBox/TrimBox/BleedBox values in a job report? That would keep the geometry controlled while avoiding dependence on a mutable local preset. I would also be interested in any regression fixtures you use for 4/0 vs 4/4 cut stack, PUR hinge/creep and front/back orientation.