Inspiring

Question

How do you print your book in booklet format?

Forum|Forum|5 months ago
December 22, 2025
5 replies
1568 views

The File menu offers "Print booklet," but this refers to the currently-focused document only. How do you print your whole book that way?

Print

rob day

Community Expert

The File menu offers "Print booklet,"

Also, does Print Booklet’s imposition really help? If there is an error on the 4-5 spread, don’t you need to output the new 4-5 spread and a 6-3 spread which backs up to 4-5?

Screen Shot 1.png

T

Thomas_CalvinAuthor

Inspiring

This is a logical question, but the answer is yes; it does help. The reason it works is that the users will cut the pages in half. I wrestled with this initially too!

The correct material still ends up on the front and back of each half-page.

Mike Witherell

Community Expert

I would like more imposition built into InDesign and Acrobat, too.

That being said, even by the OP's own description, the creation and distribution of updated pages for loose-leaf catalogs is an endlessly complex thing to do. People receiving the adjustment PDFs will also have to be carefully-trained people in order to accomplish such a difficult and detailed task. No one can print anything without knowing a lot of practical, physical-craft things. Trying to publish to an endlessly updating publication catalog seems to argue for a website solution where the users consult your web pages for the latest updated info.

Mike Witherell

rob day

Community Expert

I would like more imposition built into InDesign and Acrobat, too.

There have been imposition plugins in the past. I used to use ImposerPro with the early versions of ID—it could handle 8-up impositions. Not sure if there are any now, but it could be done via scripting or a plugin.

Given that it can be done via scripting or a plugin I doubt it gets very far as a feature request, but you could try.

rob day

Community Expert

Customers will be printing the documents.

Acobat Reader also has the simple to use Booklet tab. Your customer can choose whether to print 2-up impositions, or reader spreads

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T

Thomas_CalvinAuthor

Inspiring

Thanks for taking the time to illustrate that. However, this doesn't provide cutting or hole-punching guides. We also don't know what software they'll be printing from.

And we might as well save them the step by setting up the pages in advance.

rob day

Community Expert

However, this doesn't provide cutting or hole-punching guides

You’re providing a PDF right? Doesn’t sound like your clients are printing from InDesign—aren’t the guides included in the PDF?

davecourtemanche

Inspiring

What are you printing on? If your copier has a saddle stitch unit, all of that can be done post-RIP.

T

Thomas_CalvinAuthor

Inspiring

We have to print to PDF. Customers will be printing the documents.

Willi Adelberger

Community Expert

Export to PDF according the printer's requirement as single pages.
The printer does the imposing.
Don't make a PDF via printing as it uses postscript and this is ancient technology which is to avoid.

Your client has to inform you how and where it is printed.

Z

Zealous_work5E55

Inspiring

Export the book to .pdf and print from Acrobat's slightly more robust print dialog.

T

Thomas_CalvinAuthor

Inspiring

Thanks. It's ridiculous to have "publishing" software that purports to put together a book but can't print one.

davecourtemanche

Inspiring

It will make files for printing. Imposition for the way in which a job will be run has always been the responsibility of pre-press software. You can File / Print Booklet which will give you a .ps (postscript) file that you can then create a booklet PDF from Acrobat Distiller.

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