Generate booklet format of a PDF file for printing

Save paper, save trees and save lives.

To install

npm i -g pdfbooklet

To use

pdfbooklet [options] <INPUT-FILE.pdf>

OPTIONS:
 --margin-inset X         reduce margin of the original pdf on all sides by X inches
 --margin-inset X,Y       reduce margin X on top and bottom, Y on left and right, in inches
 --margin-inset T,R,B,L   reduce margin-top by T, right by R, bottom by B, left by L, in inches
 --output FILENAME        default is INPUT_FILE-booklet.pdf.
 --paper-size (a4|letter) default is letter
 --range X-Y,+N,A-B,...   select page X to Y from input, insert N blank pages, 
                          then from page A to B
 --signature-size N|all   group N pages (a multiple of 4) into each signature,
                          nested and folded once together, or 'all' to put every
                          page in a single signature. Default is 4 (fold each sheet
                          on its own). Use a larger value to bind thicker books.

How to use

Run the tool on a PDF, print the result in duplex (double-sided), landscape, then fold. That's it.

pdfbooklet mybook.pdf              # -> mybook-booklet.pdf

What happens to the pages

Two source pages are placed side by side on each half of a landscape sheet, in the order that makes them read correctly once folded. For a 4-page document you get one sheet:

        SHEET FRONT              SHEET BACK
      +------+------+          +------+------+
      |      |      |          |      |      |
      |  4   |  1   |          |  2   |  3   |
      |      |      |          |      |      |
      +------+------+          +------+------+
              print both sides, then fold down the middle

                       fold
                        |
                  +-----+-----+
                  |  1  |  2  |  ...  reads 1, 2, 3, 4
                  +-----+-----+

Signatures

A signature is a stack of sheets nested inside one another and folded once as a group. --signature-size controls how many pages go into each signature (always a multiple of 4, since one sheet holds 4 pages).

--signature-size 4 (the default) folds every sheet on its own, then you stack the folded sheets in order:

   [1..4]   [5..8]   [9..12]        each folded separately,
    fold     fold     fold          then stacked and bound

--signature-size 8 nests two sheets, folds them together, then stacks the folded groups. Thicker signatures mean fewer folds to collate, but a thicker fold to crease:

        outer sheet:  8 | 1   ...   2 | 7
        inner sheet:  6 | 3   ...   4 | 5

     nest inner inside outer, fold once  ->  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

--signature-size all puts the entire document into one signature — every sheet nested together and folded once (best for thin documents).

Examples

pdfbooklet --signature-size 8 mybook.pdf         # two-sheet signatures
pdfbooklet --signature-size all zine.pdf         # whole zine, one fold
pdfbooklet --margin-inset 0.25 --paper-size a4 mybook.pdf
pdfbooklet --range 1-10,+2,11-20 mybook.pdf      # pages 1-10, 2 blanks, 11-20