Please help!
Hello!
I’m working on a printing/imposition assignment for school and I’m confused about the signature arrangement for saddle stitching.
Project specs:
Book block size: 207 × 291 mm Total pages: 92 Print run: 7100 copies Binding: softcover saddle-stitched Book block printing: 1/1 Cover printing: 4/1 Book block paper: woodfree offset 100 g/m² Cover paper: coated art paper (kunst druck) 200 g/m² Book block press: B1 (2/0, 1/1) Cover press: B2 (4/0)
The most economical option seems to be printing the book block on A1+ sheets with a 4×2 imposition layout.
The assignment mentions nested signatures for saddle stitching (examples like 16u16, 16u8, etc.), where signatures are inserted into each other instead of stacked.
My question is specifically about the 92-page extent.
Would it be realistic in actual production to make:
* five 16-page signatures * plus one 3/4 signature (12 pages)
So essentially: 16 + 16 + 16 + 16 + 16 + 12 = 92
Is a 12-page signature physically possible/practical for folding and saddle stitching in a real print workflow, or would printers normally avoid that and split it differently?
Also, in notation like “16u8” or “16u16”, which signature is considered the outer one and which one is inserted inside?
I’m looking for the real production/imposition logic, not just the math.
