To skew or rotate slightly during the folding process of a large printed sheet. When multiple pages are imposed on a single sheet, repeated thick folds can force the inner pages to twist out of alignment, causing the text blocks to tilt relative to the trimmed page edges.
The inner spreads started to bottle on the last fold, so we had to adjust the imposition to compensate.
Printers compensate for bottling by slightly rotating the inner pages of the imposition layout in the opposite direction.
Related terms
Impose
To arrange pages or plates in the correct position so they fold into the proper sequence.
Imposition
The arrangement of pages on a press sheet to ensure correct order after folding and trimming.
Signature
A large printed sheet folded multiple times to form a sequential section of a book.
Gutter
The blank space between facing pages or adjacent columns of text.