Skip to content
Utilboxes

PDF Booklet Maker

To make a booklet, add the PDF and press Make booklet: pages are reordered two to a sheet for saddle-stitch printing, with blank pages added to reach a multiple of four. Print double-sided, flipping on the short edge, then fold the stack and staple the spine. Pages keep their original size. Nothing is uploaded.

Files never leave your device

Updated

How to use PDF Booklet Maker

  1. 1Add the PDF you want as a booklet.
  2. 2Press Make booklet — the page order is worked out for you.
  3. 3Print double-sided, flipping on the short edge.
  4. 4Fold the stack in half and staple through the fold.

How it works

A folded booklet does not print in reading order. The outermost sheet carries the last page beside the first, the next sheet carries the second page beside the second-to-last, and so on inwards. This is called saddle-stitch imposition, and getting it wrong by one page ruins the whole stack.

Each sheet holds four pages: two on the front and two on the back. Because of that the page count must be a multiple of four, so blank pages are added at the end when it is not — one to three of them, exactly where a reader expects blanks.

The sheet is built at twice the width of the original page, and each page is placed at its original size rather than scaled, so the printed booklet matches the document exactly. Short-edge flipping is what pairs the right back with the right front; long-edge flipping prints the reverse sides upside down.

The file is read into your browser's memory, changed there, and handed straight back to you. Nothing is uploaded, so there is no queue and no copy sitting on a server afterwards.

Tips and common mistakes

  • Print one sheet as a test first and fold it. If page 2 is upside down, change the duplex setting to flip on the short edge.
  • The booklet sheet is twice the width of your page. To make an A5 booklet on A4 paper, convert the pages to A5 with the PDF Page Size Converter first.
  • Plan for blanks: the page count must be a multiple of four, so one to three blank pages are added at the end when needed.
  • Fold each sheet separately, stack them in order, then fold the whole stack and staple along the crease.

Frequently asked questions

Why were blank pages added?
A booklet needs a multiple of four pages, since each folded sheet holds four. The shortfall is added as blanks at the end.
Which printer setting do I need?
Double-sided, flipping on the short edge. Long-edge flipping turns every second side upside down.
My pages are different sizes — does that work?
The sheet is sized from the first page and other pages are fitted inside their half. Mixed sizes still print, but one consistent size gives the tidiest result.
Can I make a booklet with more than one section?
This produces a single section — every sheet folded together and stapled once through the spine, which is how most short booklets are bound.
What paper size do I print the booklet on?
Each sheet holds two pages side by side at their original size, so it is twice as wide as one page. A5 pages print on A4 paper; A4 pages need A3.
Do I need a special stapler?
A long-reach stapler makes it easy to staple along the middle fold. Without one, open the stapler fully and staple from the outside onto something soft, then bend the staple legs flat.
Why do the inner pages stick out after folding?
Thick booklets push the inner sheets outwards at the fold, an effect printers call creep. Trim the open edge with a guillotine, or split a very long document into two booklets.
Share this toolShare on XShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInShare on RedditShare by email

Guides

Related tools

Multiple PDF Pages Per SheetPut 2, 4, 6, 9 or 16 pages on one sheet to save paper.PDF Page Size ConverterConvert PDF pages between A4, Letter, Legal, A3 and A5, scaled to fit.Rearrange PDF PagesMove pages into a new order, or reverse the whole document.Merge PDFCombine several PDFs into one file, in the order you choose.