BookletProGuide · Updated 18.10.2026
How to print a booklet from a PDF
A booklet is a stack of sheets folded in half and stapled along the fold. Printing one from a PDF takes four steps: reorder the pages, print double-sided, fold, staple. The only tricky part is the first one, and it is the part a computer should do for you.
The short version
- Reorder the pages for booklet printing. This is called imposition. Each sheet of paper carries four pages, two on each side, and they are not in reading order (see below why).
- Print double-sided and flip on the short edge. In the print dialog this is usually called “Two-sided: short-edge binding” or “Flip on short edge”.
- Fold the stack in half, all sheets at once, with the first page on the outside.
- Staple along the fold with two staples, about a quarter of the way in from the top and bottom.
With BookletPro, step 1 is one tap: open the PDF, choose your paper, and tap Generate booklet. The result is a new PDF that prints in the right order on any printer.
Why the pages look out of order
Open a booklet PDF on screen and the pages seem shuffled: the last page sits next to the first. That is correct. When the sheets are folded and nested, the pages fall into place. For an 8-page booklet on two sheets:
| Front: left | right | Back: left | right | |
|---|---|---|
| Sheet 1 (outside) | 8 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| Sheet 2 (inside) | 6 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Two rules follow from this, and both are worth knowing before you print:
- The page count must be a multiple of four. A 10-page PDF becomes a 12-page booklet with two blank pages. BookletPro adds them for you, and can keep your last page as the back cover instead of pushing it inside.
- Do not reorder the pages back. If you “fix” the order on screen, the printed booklet will be scrambled.
Printing double-sided: the short edge
Booklet sheets are printed in landscape and folded across the middle, so the back of each sheet has to be printed upside down relative to a normal document. That is what short-edge binding does. If your inside pages come out upside down, the printer flipped on the long edge: change that one setting and print again.
No duplex printer? Print the fronts, put the stack back in the tray, then print the backs. Which way to reinsert the paper depends on the printer.
BookletPro has a helper for exactly this. It splits the job into two passes, asks once how your printer turned the paper, and remembers the answer for that printer.
Which paper size to use
The booklet is half the size of the sheet you print on:
- US Letter (8.5 × 11 in) makes a half-letter booklet, 5.5 × 8.5 in. This is the usual size for church bulletins, programs and newsletters in the US.
- US Legal (8.5 × 14 in) makes a 7 × 8.5 in booklet.
- Tabloid (11 × 17 in) makes a full-letter-size booklet.
- A4 makes an A5 booklet; A3 makes an A4 booklet.
Your PDF does not have to be the booklet size already. Pages are scaled to fit the half sheet.
On a Mac
macOS has no built-in booklet option. Preview prints pages in order, and only some printer drivers add a booklet mode. Adobe Acrobat Reader can do it under Print → Page Sizing & Handling → Booklet, if you have it installed.
BookletPro runs natively on the Mac. Drag the PDF onto the window, choose Letter or A4, generate, and print from the same window with the short-edge setting.
On iPhone and iPad
iOS cannot reorder pages for booklet printing on its own. In BookletPro, open the PDF from Files, generate the booklet and print it over AirPrint, or save it to Files and print it later from any computer.
On Android, Windows and Linux
The Android app works the same way. On a computer without the app, the BookletPro web app runs in the browser. The PDF is processed inside the browser tab and never uploaded.
Folding and stapling
- Fold all sheets together, not one by one, so the edges line up. Run a fingernail or a ruler along the fold.
- A long-reach stapler reaches the middle of the fold. Without one, open the booklet face down on a piece of cardboard or foam, staple through from the outside along the fold, and bend the staple legs flat by hand.
- Around 15 sheets (60 pages) of normal office paper is the practical limit for a stapled booklet. Thicker booklets need to be split into several stapled sections.
Questions
How many sheets do I need?
One sheet holds four pages. Divide the page count by four and round up: 12 pages need 3 sheets, 30 pages need 8.
Is BookletPro free?
Booklets of up to 32 pages from one PDF are free on every platform, with all paper sizes, the back-cover option, the duplex helper and printing included. PRO adds longer booklets, combining several PDFs, page ranges, a binding margin and page numbers.
Is my PDF uploaded anywhere?
No. The booklet is made on your device, or inside your browser tab in the web app. Your PDF is never sent to us.
Make your first booklet
Open a PDF, generate, print on the short edge, fold, staple.