PDF Booklet Maker: Impose Pages for Folding

Turn any PDF into a foldable booklet

A booklet is a stack of sheets printed on both sides, folded once in the middle and stapled along the fold. Programs, zines, song sheets, leaflets and short reports print this way, but a PDF in reading order cannot simply be sent to the printer: page 1 has to sit next to the last page on the first sheet, page 2 next to the second-to-last on its back, and so on. This tool does that imposition and writes a new PDF with one page per printed side, two source pages on each. The pages are placed as vector content, not as pictures, so text stays sharp and selectable, and the whole job runs in your browser. For handouts with several pages per sheet in reading order, use Multiple Pages per Sheet instead.

How the page order is worked out

The page count is first padded to a multiple of four, because every sheet carries four pages. For a 16-page booklet the sides come out as 16,1 | 2,15 | 14,3 | 4,13 | 12,5 | 6,11 | 10,7 | 8,9: sheet one has 16 and 1 on the front and 2 and 15 on the back, sheet two has 14 and 3 and then 4 and 13, and the innermost sheet has 8 and 9 facing each other across the fold. The rule for sheet number i (counting from 1) of an n-page booklet is: front = n − 2(i − 1) on the left and 2i − 1 on the right, back = 2i on the left and n − 2i + 1 on the right. The page order box shows this list for your document, with blank where a padding page sits, so you can check it against the printed stack.

With the binding edge on the right, for books in Hebrew, Arabic and other right-to-left scripts, the left and right halves of every side swap, so the first page sits on the left of the first sheet and the book opens from the other side.

Options explained

Sheet size. The new PDF pages are landscape sheets of the size you pick; each source page gets one half. A4 and A3 are the ISO sizes 210 × 297 mm and 297 × 420 mm; Letter, Legal and Ledger are the North American 8.5 × 11, 8.5 × 14 and 11 × 17 inches, all as listed in CSS Paged Media Level 3. Twice the page size makes a sheet exactly two source pages wide, so the pages keep 100% and any scaling is left to the printer.
Binding edge. Left for left-to-right text, right for right-to-left text.
Signatures. One booklet, or several booklets of 4, 8 or 16 sheets each (16, 32 or 64 pages), each padded to a multiple of four. Fold each signature on its own, then stack them in order.
Gutter at the fold. Space taken from each half next to the fold. The outer margin is applied on all four sheet edges.
Scale pages to fit. Shrinks pages that are larger than their half, keeping their proportions. Switch it off to keep every page at 100%; parts that do not fit are then cut off at the edge of the sheet, which is what you want when the source pages were already laid out at the final size.
Fold marks. Two short gray lines at the top and bottom of each sheet mark where to fold.

Printing double-sided

Print the booklet PDF on both sides of the paper, at 100% or actual size, on the sheet size you chose. The back of each sheet must be turned around the fold line, which runs across the middle of the landscape sheet, parallel to its short edge. Print dialogs name that setting differently, often flip on short edge or short-edge binding, and drivers do not all agree on what long and short mean for a landscape page, so print the first sheet alone as a test. If its back reads upside down, choose the other flip option. Without automatic two-sided printing, print the odd PDF pages first, then the even pages on the backs; the printer's manual says which way to reload the paper. Then fold the stack in the middle with the first sheet outside and staple along the fold.

A worked example

A 22-page A4 program printed as one booklet: the page count is padded to 24, which is 6 sheets of A4 landscape, each A4 page shown at 70.7% as an A5 page. The sides read 24,1 | 2,23 | 22,3 | 4,21 | 20,5 | 6,19 | 18,7 | 8,17 | 16,9 | 10,15 | 14,11 | 12,13, where pages 23 and 24 are blank and end up as the two pages inside the back cover. With a gutter of 5 mm and an outer margin of 5 mm, each page shrinks a little more so it stays clear of the fold. Printed on A3 instead, the same booklet keeps the A4 pages at full size on 6 sheets of A3.

Limits

Links, comments and form fields sit on top of a page as separate objects and are not carried onto the sheets. Flatten a filled form first with Flatten PDF.
Encrypted PDFs cannot be read. Remove the password first with Unlock PDF.
Pages of mixed sizes are each scaled to fit their half; the sheet size follows the first page when Twice the page size is chosen.
Very large PDFs with hundreds of image-heavy pages can run out of memory on phones and tablets. The preview draws one side at a time to keep the page light.
The tool does not add creep compensation, the small outward shift of inner pages in thick booklets. Use the gutter and keep booklets to a few sheets, or split them into signatures.

How to use the PDF booklet maker

1Drop your PDF on the box or browse for it. The first side appears in the preview with the page order below.
2Choose the sheet size, binding edge, signatures, gutter and margin. Step through the sides with the arrows to check them.
3Save the booklet PDF, print it on both sides with a test sheet first, fold the stack in the middle and staple along the fold.

Sources

Related guides

Built by Tobias. Updated November 3, 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How does a PDF booklet work?

Each sheet of paper is printed on both sides with two pages per side. The pages are reordered so that when you stack the printed sheets and fold them in the middle, they read in order like a book: for 8 pages the first sheet carries 8 and 1 on the front and 2 and 7 on the back. The tool does the reordering and writes a new PDF with one page per printed side.

How do I print the booklet?

Print the PDF on both sides of the paper at 100% or actual size, never fit to page, with the back of each sheet turned around the fold line. The fold runs parallel to the short edge of the landscape sheet, which most print dialogs call flipping on the short edge. Print the first sheet alone as a test; if its back comes out upside down, pick the other flip option. Then fold the stack in the middle and staple along the fold.

Why are blank pages added?

A sheet always carries four pages, two on the front and two on the back, so the page count must be a multiple of four. Missing pages are added as blanks at the end of the booklet, where they end up as empty pages inside the back cover. Add your own blank or note page at the right place beforehand if you prefer, for example with Organize PDF.

What are signatures?

A thick booklet is hard to fold as one stack. Signatures split the pages into several thinner booklets of 4, 8 or 16 sheets each, which you fold separately and then stack or sew together. The page order list shows where each signature starts. For up to about 10 sheets a single booklet is fine.

What does the gutter do?

The gutter is extra space at the fold, taken from each page's half of the sheet. In a thick booklet the inner pages are pushed outwards by the fold, so a gutter keeps the text away from the spine. With Scale to fit on, pages shrink a little to make room; with it off, the pages move outwards and anything that no longer fits is cut off.

Which sheet size should I choose?

A booklet made from A4 pages on A4 sheets gives A5 pages; Letter pages on Letter sheets give half-letter pages, both at about 70% of the original size. To keep the pages at full size, print on a sheet twice as wide: A4 pages on A3, Letter pages on Ledger, or choose Twice the page size and let the printer scale.

Is my PDF uploaded?

No. Your browser reads the PDF, draws the preview and writes the booklet on your device. Nothing is sent to a server.