PDF Booklet Maker

New

Print a PDF as a folded booklet.

Runs in your browser

Runs in your browser — your file never leaves your device.

Drop your PDF here, or browseOne PDF · pages put in booklet order locally in your browser

About this tool

Put a PDF's pages in booklet order, two side by side on each side of a sheet, so printed on both sides and folded they read in sequence. Runs in your browser.

This tool processes files entirely on your device. Nothing is uploaded to a server.

More details

PDF Booklet Maker reorders a PDF's pages for a folded booklet. Each sheet holds two pages side by side on each side, and the pages are placed so that once the sheets are printed on both sides, stacked in order, folded in half and stapled along the fold, the booklet reads from the first page to the last.

A booklet needs a multiple of 4 pages, because every sheet carries four. When yours has another count, blank pages are added at the end to make up the difference, and only as many as that takes. Tick “Keep the last page as the back cover” to put those blanks before your last page instead, so it stays on the outside. For example, a 10-page PDF becomes 12 pages on 3 sheets: sheet 1 front blank and 1, sheet 1 back 2 and blank, sheet 2 front 10 and 3, sheet 2 back 4 and 9, sheet 3 front 8 and 5 and sheet 3 back 6 and 7.

It runs in your browser with pdf-lib; the PDF is not uploaded. The file gate refuses PDFs over 100 MB. Pages are placed as vector drawings, not pictures, so text stays sharp. Filled form fields and stamps are drawn as they print, a layer hidden in the original stays hidden, and links and form fields are no longer clickable or editable in the booklet.

When to use it

A zine or a small magazine
Lay out a zine as ordinary pages, one after another, and let the tool work out which page goes where. Print it on A4 sheets, fold the stack and staple it: each page ends up on half a sheet.
Programmes and orders of service
A 8-page event programme prints on 2 sheets. With the back-cover option, a 7-page programme keeps its last page on the back instead of a blank.
Manuals and handouts
A short manual reads more easily as a booklet than as a stapled corner, and each page is printed at half the sheet, which suits a pocket guide.
Books read from right to left
For Arabic, Hebrew or manga, set Binding to Right edge: the booklet opens from the other side, with the pages placed to match.

How it works

1Open the PDF
Drop the PDF on the box or browse for it; it takes one file up to 100 MB. Under Page order, the tool lists which pages go on each side of the first 4 sheets, says how many more sides follow, and how many blanks are added.
2Choose the sheet and binding
Under Sheet size, pick a paper (A4, US Letter, US Legal, A3 or A5, always turned landscape) or Two pages at full size. Under Binding, keep Left edge for most books; Right edge is for books read from right to left.
3Match your printer
Under Flip choose the edge your printer turns the paper on when it prints both sides: Short edge or Long edge. Pick a Margin of None, Small or Large, and tick “Keep the last page as the back cover” if you want it.
4Create, print and fold
Press “Create booklet”. “Booklet created” shows the sheets, the blanks added and the size the pages are drawn at; press “Download PDF”, print it on both sides at actual size, fold the stack in half and staple along the fold.

Common questions

Is my PDF uploaded to make the booklet?

No. The booklet is made in your browser tab and saved on your device; the PDF is not sent to pdf.xyz.

Should I flip on the short edge or the long edge?

Choose the edge your printer's two-sided setting uses. Short edge is the usual setting for booklets on landscape sheets. If you print it and the backs come out upside down, choose Long edge and create the booklet again: on Long edge, the back of every sheet is drawn turned upside down, so the printer's turn puts it the right way up.

Why were blank pages added?

Every sheet holds four pages, two on each side, so a booklet needs a multiple of 4. A PDF with another count gets the fewest blanks that make one, at the end, or just before the last page with “Keep the last page as the back cover” ticked. A PDF whose count is already a multiple of 4 gets none.

Why are my pages smaller in the booklet?

Each page is scaled to fit half the sheet with its proportions kept. On A4 with Margin set to None, an upright A4 page is drawn at 71% of its size; a landscape page has to fit the narrow half, so it shrinks to 50%. The result says the size your pages were drawn at. Two pages at full size, under Sheet size, makes each sheet two of your first page wide, so with Margin set to None, pages of that size keep their full size.

What happens to links, form fields and comments?

Anything set to print is drawn onto the booklet as it prints, so a filled form or a stamp looks the same on paper; a comment or stamp set to show on screen only is left off, as printing the original would leave it. They stop being interactive: a link does not open and a field cannot be edited. A value that has no drawing of its own and cannot be drawn here is named on the result. Keep the original for anything that has to stay clickable.

Does PDF Booklet Maker work offline?

Not fully. The page and its processing engine load over the network, and parts of the engine are fetched the first time a step needs them. The processing itself runs on your device.

How large can my file be?

Up to 100 MB per file.