Split PDF for Loads

Split large variable data input PDFs into press load sized parts for imposition

Split PDF for Loads splits PDF files into multiple parts. It is most useful for splitting large, populated variable data PDFs that will be imposed for digital sheetfed, "Cut and Stack" layouts. This will ensure that press loads are limited to the stacker capacity AND maintain records sequences, in each position's stack, from one load to the next.

It also allows for more manageable sized files to be sent to the digital front end, enabling production to begin sooner, and with fewer DFE resources.

A user defined table can be loaded with values specific to a particular press or condition. The user can maintain several of these tables for use and reuse, as needed.

Parts can be simply sent to an output folder to be copied elsewhere (Fig. 1), or even better, sent to an imposition hotfolder or configurator (Fig. 2), for pickup and further processing.

To configure, you first enter the "Number up" on the imposed sheet, and the "Number of sides" to the imposed sheet... 1 or 2 (Fig. 3). Then there are two different ways that you can have Split PDF for Loads calculate the number of pages for the split:

• with “Use table?” set to “No”, you can specify a number of sheets per press load in the “Sheets per load” property (Fig. 4). Alternately, you can “Define single-line text with variables” (Fig. 5), or...
• with “Use table?” set to “Yes” (Fig. 6), you first “Select a table (CSV) file...” (Fig. 7), and then select a “Sheets per load from table...” value from that list (Fig. 8)

In the case of the latter, a sample table is provided for download. This table can be customized per press, etc., to the user’s particular conditions. Details for customization can be found below. You can maintain different tables for different presses/conditions.

Split PDF for Loads only accepts PDF files (all other file types and folders are logged and sent to the Error connection). PDFs that require no splits are simply passed on to the output folder (Fig. 9-10).

Parts are numbered Acrobat® style (<Input file name>_Part1.pdf...). The "Parts label" can be changed as desired (eg: <Input file name>_Load1.pdf).

A “bonus” feature is, if you set “Number up” and “Number of sides” both to 1, you can split the input file into many parts, with any <n> pages per part, by entering <n> in the “Sheets per load” property.

Performance is exceptional. Even on an older Mac Pro , a 500,000 page, 488Mb file was split into 11 parts, in 1.5 min. By comparison, on the same machine, Acrobat® took 13 min.