Booklet Imposition Tool

Rearrange a normal PDF into printer spreads so that printing double-sided, folding and stapling produces a booklet with every page in the right order.

Multi-file input
Long-running / async
Booklet imposition workspace

This tool reorders and places your pages onto printer sheets for saddle-stitched booklets, perfect-bound books made of signatures, side-stitched sets of folded sheets, or simple n-up layouts. A sheet view shows exactly which pages land on each side of each sheet, and a fold simulator lets you step through the finished booklet to confirm the order before you print.

Pages are placed as vector content - text stays sharp and selectable, nothing is turned into an image. Blank pages are added only when the page count needs padding to fold correctly, and you choose where they go. Optional creep compensation, a spine gutter, and fold, crop and collation marks are available for professional print runs, along with a plain-language printing instruction sheet.

Simple workflow

How it works

1
Add PDFs

Add one or more PDFs and choose a binding type and sheet size.
2
Preview imposition

Check every sheet side in the sheet view, and step through the fold simulator to confirm page order.
3
Create & print

Create the booklet layout, then follow the printing instruction sheet for duplex, folding and binding.

Frequently asked questions

Why were blank pages added to my booklet?

Every folded sheet carries four pages, so a saddle-stitched booklet needs a page count that is a multiple of 4 (or of the signature size for perfect binding). If yours isn't, blank pages are added - at the end, or just before the back cover if you lock the covers - and the preview tells you exactly how many before anything is created.

Should I print with "flip on short edge" or "flip on long edge"?

Pick the setting that matches what you'll choose in your printer dialog. For a standard 2-up booklet on landscape sheets, "flip on short edge" is the usual choice. If your printer only does long-edge duplex, choose that here instead and the back sides are rotated in the PDF to compensate.

What is creep compensation?

When many sheets are nested and folded, the inner sheets stick out slightly further at the outer edge, so trimming cuts more off them. Creep compensation shifts each inner sheet's pages slightly toward the spine to keep margins even. It only applies to saddle stitching, and you'll be warned if the shift would push content into the fold.

Stay ahead of your document work

New tools and thoughtful product updates, delivered occasionally. No noise, no spam.