How to paginate an 5.5 x 8.5 book in 11 x 17 (tabloid)

Question

Question: How can I take a 350 page book that has been designed as a 5.5" x 8.5" and paginate it unto an 11" x 17" tabloid size paper so that, when folded, the pages come out in order.
I have looked at many alternatives, and I can place 4 pages onto an 11 x 17 but have not figured out what order they have to be placed in, or if its at all possible.
I am working with id cs4 on a Win XP.
Many thanks in advance.
Peter

Answer 1

Are you printing this in your office on your desktop printer? Unless the answer is "Yes" you should definitely NOT be doing imposition. Did the printer request that you do it?
Professional printers have dedicated programs, or equipment with imposition modules in the RIP, to handle layout for large jobs, and they need to do it themselves to get the page ordering and spacing they need not only for fit onthe equipment used for the actual printing, but also for the folding and binding operations. There is a close to zero probability that anything you do will work for them, and a close to 100% probability that if you send an imposed file it will either be completely unusable, or will require a lot of expensive handwork to break apart.
Since most book projects that require more than the two-up options are headed to professional printing (it's almost always less expensive, even on short runs, than trying to do it yourself, and it tends to look better, too), there's really very little demand for more complex imposition options inside ID.