Imposition scheme
32-page signature: Sextodecimo (16mo)
A sheet printed with 16 pages per side and folded 4 times makes one 32-page signature — historically the Sextodecimo (16mo) format.
Sheet layout
Folding sequence
Lay the sheet with side B facing up. Make a horizontal fold (top down), then a vertical fold (left over right), then a horizontal fold (top down), then a vertical fold (left over right). The last fold forms the spine on the left; the other folds are trimmed off at the head and fore-edge to free the pages.
Pages printed side by side across the spine fold always add up to 33 (for example 1 and 32) — a quick way to check any imposition.
Page positions
| Side | Top row | Bottom row |
|---|---|---|
| A (outer) | 29↓ · 4↓ · 5↓ · 28↓ | 32 · 1 · 8 · 25 |
| B (inner) | 27↓ · 6↓ · 3↓ · 30↓ | 26 · 7 · 2 · 31 |
↓ = printed upside down. Printers may use mirrored or rotated variants of this layout depending on press and folder.