Custom Sheet Sizes

The drop–down list of the sheet sizes in the Sheet panel can be customized with your own entries by editing a special file.

You will need a plain text or XML editor to do that.

Locating the File

Run Imposition Wizard and select File → Useful folders → Presets… in the main menu of the application.

A Finder or Explorer window will pop up depending on your operating system. Go to that window and move one folder up there.

You’ll notice a file named sheet-sizes.xml there. It might be named just sheet-sizes if your operating system hides file extensions.

This is the file you need.

Editing the File

Now open the file in your plain text or XML editor. Note that rich text editors like Word or Pages will not work as they don’t support plain text editing. Consider using simple Notepad on Windows or Text Edit on Mac — the simpler the better, unless you are familiar with XML.

When you open the file the first time, you’ll get this:

<sheet-size>
  <!-- Here's an example how a sheet preset looks. You need to define it's size with
       various measure units (do it at least for millimeters and inches) and give it a unique name.
       The app will ignore a preset should it be named like previously defined one.
  -->
  <!--preset size="mm: 210 x  297| in: 8.268 x 11.693| pt: 595 x  842" name="User - A4"/ -->
  <!--preset size="mm: 216 x  279| in: 8.5   x 11    | pt: 612 x  792" name="User - Letter"/ -->
</sheet-size>

We highly recommend to read a bit about XML format to understand the basic syntax. It is important to follow the syntax to keep the file readable.

The file you’ve just opened is a template and currently defines no custom sheet sizes. However, it shows two examples of how you can add your own size. They are currently commented out, but let’s uncomment one and see what happens:

<sheet-size>
  <!-- Here's an example how a sheet preset looks. You need to define it's size with
       various measure units (do it at least for millimeters and inches) and give it a unique name.
       The app will ignore a preset should it be named like previously defined one.
  -->
  <preset size="mm: 210 x  297| in: 8.268 x 11.693| pt: 595 x  842" name="User - A4"/>
  <!--preset size="mm: 216 x  279| in: 8.5   x 11    | pt: 612 x  792" name="User - Letter"/ -->
</sheet-size>

Here I uncommented the first custom size named “User - A4”. I did this by removing "!--" and "--" marks at the beginning and at the end of the line (note there’s no space between "/" and ">" at the end). Make sure you did exactly that, save the file and restart Imposition Wizard.

Once Imposition Wizard restarted, open the Sheet panel, click the drop–down list of sheet sizes and scroll to its very bottom. You’ll find the custom “User - A4” sheet size. You did it!

If you don’t see the entry, you probably did a mistake while editing the XML file. Try copying the one above and see if it works (it will).

Adding Custom Size

The sheet size is defined by the <preset … /> entry in the XML file. The entry has two attributes: name and size. The former defines the name you see in the list, the latter defines the size.

In order to add a custom sheet size, copy the “User - A4” line and paste it right below, or you might edit that line directly.

The size format is a bit tricky as it allows you to specify the sheet size in multiple units at the same time. You don’t really need to do all the units, but it helps to avoid small rounding errors during unit conversion.

Here is the size field syntax:

<unit>: <width> x <height>

Where unit is one of: “cm”, “mm”, “pt”, “in” and width and height are the numbers defining the sheet size in that unit.

Here are some examples:

cm: 10 x 12
in: 3 x 5
pt: 100 x 200

You got the idea. Now if you want to specify the sheet size in multiple units, you separate each declaration with a pipe “|” symbol:

mm: 210 x 297 | in: 8.268 x 11.693 | pt: 595 x 842
mm: 216 x 279 | in: 8.5 x 11 | pt: 612 x 792

Imposition Wizard will use the numbers you specified for a given unit if you have that unit selected in the user interface. If you don’t specify it there, Imposition Wizard will convert the size in another unit to the currently selected one.

That’s pretty much it. Now you can add your own sheet sizes, restart Imposition Wizard and use them there.

Something Goes Wrong?

If after some editing and restarting Imposition Wizard you’ll see no custom entries in the sheet size drop–down list, it means you’ve most likely made a typo in the XML file.

Open the XML file again and check the very last changed you made. If unsure, comment them out by placing <!-- and --> before and after the changed lines. Then save the file and restart Imposition Wizard. If it helps, the error is there in the commented lines. Check them and make sure they match the XML format.

Finally, if nothing works, you can delete the XML file completely. Restart Imposition Wizard and it will re–create the template file that you can use to start from scratch.

More Imposition Wizard Tutorials

Installation

• Installation — how to install Imposition Wizard;
• License Activation — how to activate Imposition Wizard with a license key;
• Acrobat Plugin Problems — what to do if the plugin doesn’t work.

Basics

• User Interface — how to run Imposition Wizard and make the first steps;
• Pages Grid — how pages are placed across the sheets in Imposition Wizard;
• Presets — how to save and re–use imposition layouts;
• Preflight — how to check for errors before your print.

Layouts

• N–Up — a very simple, yet customizable layout;
• Step and Repeat — perfect layout for business cards;
• Cut Stack — flexible layout with pages flow options;
• Booklet — lots of options for fine–tuning the imposition process;
• Shuffle — manual imposition mode where you control the flow;
• Dutch Cut — save paper by printing more pages on the same sheet.

Imposition Parameters

• Source Panel — overriding trim box and bleeds, pages scaling;
• Page Gaps — configuring gaps between pages;
• Sheet Panel — output sheet size, content position and more;
• Duplex Printing — duplex printing support;
• Registration Marks — adding and configuring marks, custom texts etc;
• Flipping Rules — how to flip pages in most layouts.

Registration Marks

• Angle Mark — angle mark for image drift compensation;
• Barcode — encoding job details with barcodes;
• Bull Eye — placing bull eye marks around the pages;
• Color Bar — adding color bars to imposed files;
• Crop Marks — configuring crop marks for easier trimming;
• Custom Mark — adding ad–hoc graphics where needed;
• Custom Text — adding text elements with imposition details;
• Gap Crop Marks — adding crop marks in the middle of the page gaps;
• Folding Marks — marking the middle of booklet spreads;
• Perforation Marks — make complex perforation or folding marks;
• Star Target — placing star target marks around the pages;
• Trim Line — marking page boundaries to simplify trimming;

Automation

• Batch Processing — impose multiple files at once;
• Hot Folders — monitor folders and run imposition on changes.

Command Line

• Basic Imposition — basic command line imposition example.

Advanced

• Custom Sheet Sizes — how to extend the built–in list;
• Translation — translate Imposition Wizard to your language.