The Layout Editor is used to create wide-format jobs for printing on Sign & Display devices. These jobs open immediately in the Layout Editor from where they are set up and submitted. In addition, the Layout Editor can also be used to prepare the imposition of other unbound flat jobs that require an intricate arrangement of products on the sheet, such as packaging jobs. The latter jobs can be opened in the Layout Editor using the Imposition Mode selector in the Products tab.

The Layout Editor has two modes when working with wide-format jobs:

The products you want to print are first placed on one or more sheets in Sheet Layout mode, and these sheets are placed on print layouts that you can see if you switch to Print Layout mode. The print layout represents the printer bed (flat-bed devices) or the printer belt (roll-fed devices), which can accommodate multiple sheets and has the dimensions of the chosen device. A print layout is created automatically for each sheet that you prepare in Sheet Layout mode, with the sheet positioned by default in the printer’s home position. You only need to switch to Print Layout mode if you want to inspect how the sheet is arranged on the print layout, or if you need to combine multiple sheets on one or more print layouts.

The workspace is similar in both modes, except for a few tools and inspectors that are only relevant in the respective modes. To switch between Sheet Layout mode and Print Layout mode, click the Sheets or Print Layouts tabs respectively above the Products panel. You can also edit a placed sheet by double-clicking it on the print layout.

The Layout Editor is opened when you create or edit a wide-format job or a packaging job. Alternatively, you can open the Layout Editor from the Jobs window:

To exit the Layout Editor, submit the job and choose Delete Job (new job), or Discard (existing job). See “Applying Changes and Submitting a Job” for more information.