How to print a PDF as a booklet

A booklet is made of sheets folded in half. Each sheet carries four pages, two on each side, and the pages are not in the order you'd expect. On an 8-page booklet, the front of the first sheet holds pages 8 and 1, and its back holds pages 2 and 7. Working this out by hand is a puzzle; a booklet layout does it for you.

Making the booklet file

1. Open Pages per sheet and add your PDF.
2. Under Layout, choose Booklet (fold in half).
3. Pick the Sheet size you'll print on, usually A4 or US Letter. Your A5 or half-letter pages will be scaled to fit side by side.
4. Press Create layout and download the file.

Why multiples of four matter

Every sheet carries four pages, so a booklet always has 4, 8, 12, 16… pages. If your document has 10 pages, two blank pages get added at the end. That's usually fine, but if you'd rather control where blanks go (say, after the cover so the content starts on a right-hand page), add them yourself first with Insert blank pages.

Printing it

Print the booklet file double-sided, flipping on the short edge. This is the setting people get wrong most often: the pages are side by side on a landscape sheet, so the paper has to flip along its short side for the back to come out the right way up.

No double-sided printer? See how to print double-sided by hand; it works for booklets too.

Folding and binding

• Keep the sheets in the order they come out of the printer, fold the whole stack at once and press the fold with the back of a spoon.
• Two staples on the fold are enough for up to about 12 sheets (48 pages). A long-reach stapler helps; otherwise open the stack on a folded towel and staple through into it, then bend the staple legs by hand.
• Thick booklets push the inner pages outwards ("creep"). For anything above 40 pages, trim the outside edge with a paper cutter for a clean finish.