BookletProGuide · Updated 24.10.2026
How to print a church bulletin as a folded booklet
Most church bulletins are a sheet of Letter paper folded in half: a half-letter booklet, 5.5 × 8.5 inches, with the order of service inside and announcements on the back. If yours runs to more than four pages, the pages have to be rearranged before printing so they land in the right place once the sheets are folded. Here is how to do that every week without fighting the print dialog.
The short version
- Write the bulletin as normal pages in Word, Google Docs, Publisher, Canva or whatever you use, page 1 to the last page, and export it as a PDF. Each page should be half-letter size (5.5 × 8.5 in), though a Letter-size document is scaled down to fit.
- Turn the PDF into a booklet. In BookletPro: open the PDF, choose Letter Landscape as the paper, and tap Generate booklet.
- Print double-sided, flipped on the short edge. From version 3.3, BookletPro preselects this for you in the print dialog.
- Fold the stack in half. For eight pages or more, add two staples along the fold.
How many pages: plan in fours
One sheet of Letter paper, folded, carries four bulletin pages. So a bulletin always has a page count that is a multiple of four:
| Pages | Sheets per copy | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 1 | Cover, order of worship, announcements, back cover |
| 8 | 2 | Adds hymn texts, prayer list or a ministry page |
| 12 | 3 | Holiday or special services |
If your PDF comes out at 10 pages, the booklet will have 12, with two blank pages. BookletPro adds them, and the Use last page as back cover option keeps your last page (usually the contact details or the weekly calendar) on the outside back instead of pushing a blank there.
Why the PDF looks scrambled
The booklet PDF puts page 8 next to page 1 and page 2 next to page 7. That is correct. When the two sheets are nested and folded, every page falls into reading order. Do not rearrange it back; see why a booklet PDF looks out of order for the full picture.
Printing it, at home or on the church copier
- Paper: US Letter, landscape. For a larger bulletin, Legal (8.5 × 14 in) folds to 7 × 8.5 in, and Tabloid (11 × 17 in) folds to a full letter-size booklet.
- Two-sided, short edge. If the inside pages come out upside down, the printer flipped on the long edge. Change that one setting.
- On the office copier, print one booklet from the app or send it the booklet PDF, check it, then make your copies from that file with the same settings: Letter, two-sided, short edge. Many copiers can also fold and staple ("booklet" or "saddle stitch" finishing). If yours has that option, use it with the booklet PDF as it is.
- No duplex printer? BookletPro prints the fronts, tells you how to put the stack back in, and prints the backs. It remembers the answer for your printer, so next Sunday it is one tap.
Set it up once, reuse it every week
Bulletins are the same job every week with new content. Save your setup as a preset (paper, back cover, binding margin, page numbers) and next week it is: open the new PDF, pick the preset, generate, print.
Free for most bulletins. BookletPro makes booklets of up to 32 pages from one PDF for free, with every paper size, the back-cover option, the duplex helper and printing included. PRO adds longer booklets, combining several PDFs (say, the order of service and a separate insert), a binding margin and page numbers.
Questions
What size should I design the bulletin pages in?
Half-letter, 5.5 × 8.5 inches, is ideal because nothing has to be scaled. Full Letter pages work too; they are scaled down to fit, so use slightly larger type.
Can I combine the order of service with a separate insert?
Yes, with PRO you can combine several PDFs into one booklet in the order you choose.
Does my bulletin get 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.
Print this Sunday's bulletin
Open the PDF, generate, print two-sided on the short edge, fold.