Re: crop marks in PDF for printing

[Henning Hraban Ramm]

Am 2016-11-06 um 22:56 schrieb Alexander Kobel <address@hidden>:

>>> In many brochure-bound volumes of more than two or three sheets (say, 60+ 
>>> pages), the paper is cut to align flush when the brochure is closed.  So 
>>> the inner sheets are (sometimes significantly, say in the order of 5mm per 
>>> page or 10mm per sheet) narrower than the outer ones.  Does / should this 
>>> impact the layout of the page?  And if so, how?
>> 
>> It should affect the layout insofar as the page contents (should) get moved 
>> a few millimeters.
>> That’s a task for the imposition software at the printshop, or previously 
>> for the "Druckvorlagenhersteller" (lithographer?).
> 
> Should the contents be moved towards the binding or towards the outer edge?

Oh my, I gave away all of my technical literature years ago...

See e.g. "Seitenversatz" at 
https://helpx.adobe.com/de/indesign/using/printing-booklets.html
in English: "Creep" at 
https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/using/printing-booklets.html

You can either move the contents of the outer pages of a fold *away from* the 
gutter/spine, or move the contents of the inner pages *to* the gutter/spine.

>> Interesting approach – I never heard of anyone doing this, but it makes 
>> sense and could even be applied to text layout.
>> 
>> You or the typesetting system would need to know how the book will get bound 
>> and which pages to change how – if it’s just one booklet (back stitched) or 
>> a properly bound, thicker volume that consists of several "booklets" (thread 
>> bound), or if it’s "perfect bound" (single pages glued). In the last case, 
>> you can avoid layout correction.
> 
> Yes, that's obviously the problem. Even if you already know the parameters, 
> it sounds like a pretty difficult task for a layout system if the content 
> area changes with the number of pages and vice versa. Long compile times 
> ahead, and probably for little benefit... Similar to why Lilypond takes much 
> longer if page breaks are determined on-the-fly, or why LaTeX compile times 
> are much longer with microtype, I guess.

Yes, TeX has issues with changing line widths (even in columns) and additional 
variables that affect line breaking, but modern computers are good enough WRT 
speed and memory, and esp. LuaTeX allows for enough control to cope even with 
irregular layouts (as ConTeXt can do, i.e. that *you* can do using ConTeXt).

I can imagine it would be possible to tell TeX (ConTeXt) which column or 
horizontal layout area to adapt to the binding correction to achieve pure 
harmony in book design ;)

> But at least I'm glad that an experienced typesetter agrees with my idea. :-)

I’ll try to infect some TeX gurus with the idea.

>> Usual layout correction affects only the margins.
> Pure lazyness. ;-)

Call it efficiency. A typesetter (or imposer/lithographer/printer) is no artist 
who can work for years at one piece. Even in Gutenberg’s era, production 
efficiency was crucial - since the printers tried to provide the quality of 
writing monks (copy writers?) for much lower costs, while work time had a much 
lower value than today.

Greetlings, Hraban
---
fiëé visuëlle
Henning Hraban Ramm
http://www.fiee.net