A system and method are provided to implement dynamic user intent-based imaging operations in image forming and document handling systems. A common framework is provided to implement the user-intent based imaging operations by which all of the individual component devices are able to be mapped to a particular user's desires such that an output from any particular image forming device in the complex image forming system meets the user's requirements/intent. Operations of component devices of a particular complex image forming system are defined logically. Mappings to the individual devices according to a common reference framework are then overlaid and manipulated according to the common framework. In this manner, a user directs imaging operations, including image shifts, for individual pages, subsets of pages or an entire document in the manner the user intends rather than according to a default understanding of the device.