A booklet printed on ordinary paper is a stack of sheets folded in half, each sheet carrying four pages: two on the front and two on the back. For that to read in order once folded, the pages have to be printed out of order - the last page next to page 1 on the outside sheet, page 2 next to the second-last on its back, and so on inwards. This tool does that rearranging (it is called imposition), so a PDF prints as a booklet on a normal home or office printer.
The pages are copied as they are, text and drawings included, not turned into pictures, so the booklet prints as sharp as the original. A PDF whose page count is not a multiple of 4 gets blank pages at the end. It is free to use, with no account and no upload limit, and it runs entirely in your browser: nothing is uploaded, and while the page stays open, a feature you have already used keeps working offline.
- What does "flip on short edge" mean, and what if I get it wrong?
- The booklet's sheets are landscape, so the paper has to turn over along its short side for the back to come out the right way up. With "flip on long edge" every back page prints upside down. If that happens, change the setting and print again; nothing about the booklet PDF needs to change.
- Why does my booklet have blank pages at the end?
- Each folded sheet holds exactly four pages, so a booklet always has a multiple of 4. A 10-page PDF becomes a 12-page booklet with two blank pages at the back. If you would rather have the blanks somewhere else, such as inside the front cover, add blank pages there in the original document, save it as a PDF again, and then make the booklet.
- Which paper size should I choose?
- Choose the paper you will print on. A Letter or A4 PDF printed on Letter or A4 paper makes a booklet half that size (A4 pages become A5), with each page scaled down to fit. "Two pages per sheet at actual size" makes each sheet two of the first page wide and keeps the pages at their own size, which suits a PDF already designed at booklet size: A5 pages print on A4 paper, half-letter pages on Letter.
- How many pages can one booklet have?
- The tool takes up to 1,000 pages, but paper sets the practical limit: a stack of more than about 10 to 12 sheets (40 to 48 pages) of ordinary paper is hard to fold and staple neatly, and the middle pages stick out at the edge. For a longer document, make several booklets from parts of it, splitting the PDF first with the PDF Toolkit.
- Is my PDF uploaded to make the booklet?
- No. The PDF is read and rearranged by this page on your own computer, and the booklet is saved straight from it, so the tool also works for documents you would not send to a website.