pdfNest fully supports both sheet-based and roll-based output for the ganging and nesting calculations it performs.

• For sheets, dimensions, and margins can be set to restrict the imposition-ready area of the sheets.
• For rolls, pdfNest supports roll width and length. It can optionally also take maximum cutting or finishing requirements into account (to limit the maximum imposition length).

pdfNest supports different imposition strategies to maximize the creation of identical sheets, allow or disallow overruns (generating more copies than requested), etc.

The pdfNest engine is not just capable of creating efficient layouts for rectangular items; it seamlessly incorporates optimization of cut contour jobs. When calling the API, passing SVG for cut contours is supported; the calculation engine then computes the best true-shape nest for all passed items based on this shape information.

Shapes are nested as closely as allowed by the interlock distance (the minimum required distance between cut contours) passed to the API to achieve the most efficient sheet or roll layout, reducing waste and improving overall medium utilization.