To create a “clean” image –

Basic goal – you don’t want anything except the basic MacOS installed. So be certain that the mac serial number is not scoped to a JAMF pre-stage enrollment. You don’t want JAMF to install or anything else to install.

Take a mac out of shrink wrap (or use internet recovery (cmd-opt-R) to erase the internal hard drive and re-install a Mac OS).

Let the MacOS setup run and disable (or not enable) everything you can. Create an admin account that you want to use for all computers this will go on.

Run system updates and update all MacOS software.

If they are not installed, install iMovie, Pages, Keynote, Numbers, and GarageBand. Run GarageBand to make sure the required Apple Loops are downloaded and indexed.

In a terminal window switch to root (sudo -s) and give the following commands:

• systemsetup -setcomputersleep 120
• systemsetup -setdisplaysleep 120
• systemsetup -setremotelogin on
• softwareupdate –schedule off

These commands are useful when remotely connecting to the mac after imaging.

Once done, shutdown (not reboot) the mac. Then boot to an external disk that is loaded with the same or greater version of the MacOS and run an up-to-date cloning application like Carbon Copy Cloner. Take a read-only, compressed image of the internal hard drive “Macintosh HD”. Copy this into your image distribution system.

Since MacOS 10.13 – High Sierra – You must use an image taken from an APFS formatted drive to “image” other APSF drives. Likewise, use an image taken from an HFS drive for HFS drive imaging.

Also, you can not simply image an MacOS 10.12 or lower with a MacOS 10.13 image. The MacOS 10.12 mac must fist run the native MacOS 10.13 installer from Apple. That installer both installs firmware required for booting a 10.13 system and formats the drive as APFS or not depending on drive type. All SSDs are formatted to APFS without option. As of 10.13.5, Fusion drives and HDD drives are left as HFS.