How to Add a Gutter Using Bleed Settings in InDesign

Workaround for the Missing Gutter Feature in Our InDesign Imposition Plugin

One of the most frequent questions I get is how to add a gutter between imposed pages. Although the InDesign imposition plugin doesn’t yet offer a dedicated gutter feature, you can simulate one using InDesign’s bleed settings.

Why a Gutter Matters

A gutter isn’t for aesthetics—its benefits extend to the production floor:

Visible Separation: A well-defined gutter between imposed pages visually separates the finished pages, aiding the post-printing processes.

Guillotine Cutting: The gutter provides a necessary margin for the guillotine to make precise cuts.

Flexible Finishing Options: It even allows the guillotine to optionally cut the printed pages in half before the final trim, and can enable you to fit more pages in the layout by maximizing usable space.

Using Bleed to Simulate a Gutter

Since our imposition plugin doesn’t currently include a dedicated gutter feature, the solution is to use InDesign’s bleed settings as a workaround. Follow these steps:

Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. Open or Create a New Document:
    1. Go to File > New > Document.
    2. Set your desired page size and margins.
  2. Access the Bleed Settings:
    1. In the New Document dialog, click on More Options (if necessary) to reveal the bleed settings at the bottom.
    2. You’ll see fields for Top, Bottom, Left, and Right bleed.
  3. Set Bleed Values for Your Gutter:
    1. Horizontal Gutter: For side-by-side pages, enter your desired value (e.g., 5 mm) in the Left and Right bleed fields.
    2. Vertical Gutter: For pages stacked vertically, adjust the Top and Bottom bleed values.
    3. Note: You can set different values for horizontal and vertical gutters if your layout requires it.
  4. Finalize Your Document:
    1. Click Create to open your document with the bleed settings acting as your simulated gutter.
  5. Remember When Imposing:
    1. When imposing with the InDesign imposition plugin, ensure that your PDF export settings include bleed. This step is crucial so that the simulated gutter appears correctly in your final output.

A Few Caveats

While using bleed as a workaround for a gutter is practical, keep in mind:

  • Extra Ink Usage: Because the gutter is linked to the bleed area, your printer might lay down slightly more ink if there's artwork in the bleed area.
  • Uniform Gutter: You can only control the gutter uniformly across all pages. Customizing gutter size for specific imposed pages isn’t possible with this method.

Looking Ahead

This workaround offers a reasonable solution until we introduce a dedicated gutter feature in our imposition plugin.

If you’d like more features or have further suggestions, please visit our Contact Page.

Happy imposing!

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