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Create PDF booklet

Automatically impose pages on booklet spreads and add the blank positions required for printing.

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How does this tool work?

Creating a PDF booklet rearranges a document’s pages so that, once printed double-sided, folded in half and stacked, they form a brochure that reads in order: a show programme, a zine, a wedding booklet, a small catalogue or a welcome guide. This imposition calculation, tedious by hand, is done automatically in your browser.

A folded sheet carries four pages: two on the front, two on the back. The tool therefore pads the document with blank pages up to the next multiple of 4, then spreads the pages over each side in imposition order: the outer sheet gets the last and first pages on the front, the second and second-to-last on the back, and so on towards the centre of the booklet.

Each side produced is two pages wide and one page high, based on the first page of the document: an A4 document gives sides of 420 × 297 mm, which is landscape A3. Pages are embedded without being turned into images.

To print, choose double-sided with short-edge flip. On an A4 printer, turn on fit to page: each booklet page is then reduced to A5, and the folded A4 sheet gives an A5 booklet.

How to use this tool

  1. Import the PDF in reading order

    The document must be paginated normally, with page 1 first.

  2. Create the booklet

    The tool adds the blank pages needed and works out the imposition order.

  3. Print double-sided and fold

    Print the booklet file double-sided with short-edge flip, stack the sheets in order, then fold them together.

How the imposition is calculated

The page count is padded to a multiple of 4, then each sheet j (counting from 0, from the outside towards the centre) receives four page numbers.

Padded page count

N′ = 4 × ⌈N ÷ 4⌉

A folded sheet holds 4 pages; the booklet has N′ ÷ 2 sides and N′ ÷ 4 sheets.

Front of sheet j

(N′ − 2j; 2j + 1)

Left page then right page; a number above N means a blank page.

Back of sheet j

(2j + 2; N′ − 2j − 1)

Printed on the back of the front with short-edge flip.

N
number of pages in the original document
N′
number of pages after adding blanks
j
sheet number, from 0 (outer) to N′ ÷ 4 − 1 (centre)

Use cases

Print a programme or zine

Turn an 8- or 12-page document into a saddle-stapled brochure.

Make a ceremony booklet

Prepare a wedding, christening or party booklet to print at home.

Produce a small guide

Print a welcome guide or instructions in pocket A5 size.

Examples

10-page document

N′ = 4 × ⌈10 ÷ 4⌉ = 12. Pages 11 and 12 do not exist and stay blank. Sides come in front/back pairs: 3 physical sheets printed on both sides.

Input

10-page A4 PDF in reading order

Result

12 pages after adding 2 blanks; 6 sides: (blank, 1), (2, blank), (10, 3), (4, 9), (8, 5), (6, 7)

Tips and best practices

  • Aim for a page count that is a multiple of 4 to avoid blank pages, for instance by adding a notes page.
  • Test on two sheets before printing the whole run to check the flip direction.
  • For plain multi-page handouts without folding, use Put multiple PDF pages on one sheet instead.

Frequently asked questions

Why are blank pages added?

Because a folded sheet always holds 4 pages. The document is padded to the next multiple of 4; slots without a page stay blank.

Which paper size do I need?

Sides are two pages wide: an A4 document gives landscape A3. On an A4 printer, print with fit to page to get an A5 booklet.

How do I set up double-sided printing?

Choose double-sided with short-edge flip; otherwise the back of each sheet will be upside down.

Do pages lose quality?

No. They are embedded as PDF content without being turned into images; only any scaling at print time makes them smaller.

What if my pages are not all the same size?

The side size is based on the first page; other pages are reduced and centred in their half of the side.

Is my document sent online?

No. Calculating the imposition and creating the booklet happen in your browser.

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