Sift

Open source · API-first · stateless solver

Imposition planning, solved.

Given your SKUs, press, and substrate, Sift computes the most efficient step-and-repeat, gang, or true-shape nest — then hands the plan to the workflow you already run: compile-pdf, Esko Automation Engine, HYBRID Cloudflow, or any other writer. Stateless, deterministic, API-first. Sift decides the layout; it never writes the PDF.

Start free — hosted SaaS Self-host on GitHub →

No card for the free tier · AGPL-3.0 · stateless · deterministic

How it works

From job spec to optimal layout

Sift answers one question, headlessly: given the job and the press, what is the most efficient layout? It produces the plan; the workflow you already run — compile-pdf, Esko AE, or Cloudflow — writes the PDF.

01

Describe the job

POST your SKUs, quantities, and rules plus the press/substrate context to /v1/sift/solve. No queue, no inventory state — Sift is stateless.

02

Solve

Tier 1 grid (uniform / stagger step-and-repeat), Tier 2 gang (OR-Tools CP-SAT quantity balancing), Tier 3 nest (true-shape irregular dies). SIFT_TIERS gates which run.

03

Get the plan

Sift returns an ImposePlan — the layout logic behind the step-and-repeat — content-addressed and deterministic: same inputs, same plan, every time.

04

Hand off to your workflow

The plan goes to whatever writes your sheets — compile-pdf.impose, Esko Automation Engine, or HYBRID Cloudflow. Sift decides the layout; your workflow system writes the bytes — a clean seam.

Everything imposition planning needs

Built for web-to-print platforms, packaging houses, and prepress teams that want optimal layouts without lock-in.

Three solver tiers

Grid step-and-repeat (uniform & stagger), gang quantity-balancing across press forms (OR-Tools CP-SAT), and true-shape nesting of irregular dies — one API, the right algorithm per job.

Deterministic plans

Every solve is content-addressed (inputs, press, objective, seed, versions). Same request → same ImposePlan. Stochastic nests pin seed + budget so results are reproducible.

Built on codex geometry

Rectangular grids use codex.geom.tile_grid; placement vocabulary (CellPlacement, flip_per_row, bleed_handling) and polygon ops come from codex — no re-implemented geometry.

Stateless & API-first

/v1/sift/solve, /suggest, /estimate over REST — no queue, no inventory, no due-date storage (those live in your MIS). Run it headless, anywhere.

Hands off to your workflow

Grid fast-path or explicit placements (stagger / gang / nest) on the ImposePlan — consumed by compile-pdf-impose, Esko Automation Engine, or HYBRID Cloudflow. Sift plans; your workflow system writes the PDF.

Self-host or hosted

AGPL-3.0 OSS you can run on Docker or Railway, or use managed Print With Synergy hosting — same solver, managed and metered.

Simple, usage-ready pricing

Run imposition planning as a managed hosted service, or self-host the open source.

Sift Imposition

SaaS plan
$299 /month

or $2,990/year (2 months free)

Start with Sift
  • All three solver tiers — grid step-and-repeat, OR-Tools gang, true-shape nest
  • Deterministic, content-addressed ImposePlan output
  • Hands off to compile-pdf.impose, Esko AE, or Cloudflow for PDF writing
  • Stagger / half-drop cuts + custom grouping criteria
  • Stateless API: /v1/sift/solve, /suggest, /estimate

Open source · managed hosting

Independent tools. Pick the ones you need.

A toolkit of focused, standalone PDF utilities — extraction, preflight, viewing, assembly, imposition planning, and an asset store. Each one plugs into the prepress workflow you already run. Use the open source yourself, or let us host any single tool for you on work.withsynergy.io.

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