How to print a PDF as a booklet (printer settings that work)

To print a PDF as a booklet, open it in Adobe Acrobat Reader, click Print, and under “Page Sizing & Handling” choose “Booklet”. Acrobat automatically arranges (imposes) the pages so that when you fold the stack in half, they read in the right order.

Step by step in Acrobat Reader

Open your PDF in the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Go to File → Print.
Under Page Sizing & Handling, click Booklet.
Set Booklet subset to “Both sides” if your printer does double-sided (duplex). If not, choose “Front side only”, reload the paper, then print “Back side only”.
Check the preview shows two pages side by side, then print.
Fold the stack in half and staple along the spine.

Two settings trip people up. The binding option (Left or Right) sets which edge the fold sits on — Left is standard for English, which reads left to right. The sheets from/to boxes let you split a long document across separate print runs, which is handy when your printer chokes on big jobs. Leave them at the defaults for a straight run.

Printing a booklet from other programs

You do not have to use Acrobat. In Microsoft Word, go to Layout → Margins → Custom Margins, set Pages to “Book fold”, and Word re-orders the pages for you when you print duplex. On a Mac, open the PDF in Preview or Acrobat — the print dialog has the same Booklet layout under the Paper Handling or Layout menu. Whatever the software, the principle is identical: it imposes the pages so a folded stack reads in order.

Why the page count must be a multiple of four

Each folded sheet holds four pages (two on the front, two on the back). So a saddle-stitched booklet always needs a page count that divides by four — 8, 12, 16 and so on. If yours does not, add a blank page or two. It is better to plan the layout around this from the start: build your content to land on 8, 12 or 16 pages rather than trimming good material to fit, or padding with awkward blanks.

Common mistakes to avoid

Wrong duplex flip. If page two prints upside down relative to page one, your printer is flipping on the wrong edge. Look for a “flip on short edge / long edge” setting and switch it.
No margin for the fold. Text that runs too close to the spine gets swallowed by the fold. Keep at least 10–12mm clear of the centre.
Scaling surprises. Two A4 pages side by side print onto A3, or two A5 pages onto A4. Load the right paper, or the whole thing shrinks.
Thick stacks. Fold more than about 15–20 sheets at home and the inner pages start to poke out past the outer ones (called creep). That is the point to hand it to a printer.

Home printing vs professional

Home printing is fine for a quick draft or a one-off. But for anything a customer sees — a menu, a program, a product catalogue — the difference is obvious. Professional folds are square and crisp, the colour stays consistent from the first copy to the hundredth, and heavier cover stock stops the booklet feeling flimsy. You also skip the fiddly duplex reloading and the guillotine trims every copy to the same size. We handle the imposition, printing and binding for you, so you send simple single pages in reading order and we do the rest.

Choosing paper for a booklet

Paper does a lot of the work in how a booklet feels. Most booklets use a lighter text stock for the inside pages (around 100–150gsm) and a heavier cover (250–350gsm) so it holds its shape and protects the contents. Coated stock gives sharp, punchy images and suits catalogues, menus and anything photographic; uncoated has a natural, easy-to-read feel that suits reports and programs. A matt or gloss laminate on the cover adds real durability for a booklet that will be handled a lot. The heavier the cover and the more pages inside, the more the paper choice drives both the feel and the cost — tell us how the booklet will be used and we will match a stock to it.

Booklet printing FAQ

What paper weight should the cover be?

A cover of 250–350gsm gives a booklet structure and stops it flopping open. The inside pages usually sit lighter, around 100–150gsm.

What size paper do I need for an A5 booklet?

A5 pages are printed two-up on A4 and folded, so you load A4 (or we do). An A4 booklet is printed on A3 the same way.

My PDF is not a multiple of four — what now?

Add blank pages until the total divides by four. A common trick is to leave the inside front cover or the last page blank rather than dropping content.