Merge 2 pdf pages to 1?

[Petteri_Paananen]

Hi folks

Time to time I have to merge PDF pages (pages 2-3 to one doublesized page etc). I have always done that by printing multiple pages per sheet... in my case 2 pages per sheet, but instead of printing, I have saved my work as PDF.

Now I have upgraded to MacOS X 10.6 and that doesn´t work any more. If I try, I get warning "Saving a PDF file when printing is not supported, use File>Save instead".

My problem is that there is no option "Save multiple pages per sheet"... so there´s no use to save it.... Is there some workarounds? I really need this feature and I can´t believe it has been taken away....

[jd_vincent]

Update -- now priced at $899

[try67]

How about this? Custom-made Adobe Scripts: Acrobat -- Print Multiple Pages Per Sheet

[lesliemilne]

The Quite Imposing plugin costs $299 US and up! I can't afford that.  But thank you for offering an option!

[philips61638328]

Read the post from Philip Saunders Mar 24, 2017 8:24 AM (in response to Petteri_Paananen)
No need for expensive add-on software - use MS Picture Manager and MS Paint as described.
Works very well.  Phil  <email address removed by moderator>

[Bernd Alheit]

You will lost many features of the PDF document.

[lesliemilne]

I'm working on a movie script, trying to section out each scene.  So, I'm combining the pages from one scene, then exporting to Word.  Once there, I'm copying and pasting to drag sections together.  A little bit of formatting is lost and needs adjusted, but not too bad!  Then I save it as an Adobe PDF file.  It's insane that Adobe Reader doesn't have this simple capability!   

[try67]

Why is it insane? Adobe Reader is just that, a reader of PDF files, not an editor or a creator of them.

[lesliemilne]

I apologize.  NOT Adobe Reader.  I'm using Adobe Acrobat Pro DC.  And, for that program, it is insane to not be able to do this!

[try67]

It can, in more way than one.

[lesliemilne]

Please share, because this switching back and forth with Word is a nightmare!  Lol

[briandkatz1]

No it can't.

Have tried many ways.

If it can, it should be intuitive, and this forum should have been closed out years ago. Instead, it's seven years old.

[briandkatz1]

Yes it is insane.

New technology is supposed to help us, not hurt us.

We could always print to a PDF and choose multiple pages per side before, now with new versions of Adobe and MacOS we no longer can? It's the exact opposite of progress.

[ebdean42]

Quite Imposing is over $400! Crazy.

[try67]

It can also be done with a script, most likely, which is much cheaper to develop.

[Greg Law]

Single page pdf from Multi-page pdf while maintaining true text and vectors, that is, not rastering the document. This explanation is intended to be complete. Unfortunately, in this matter there are a number of things which must be set up. Once done, it will be very easy to choose this output in the future.

This was developed today after looking for an easier way of inserting UL Assemblies into an Autocad construction plan set. Given the size of the construction plan sheets and the large number of sheets in a set of plans, it is important to keep file sizes manageable while keeping text crisp. Therefore, it is important to avoid rasterizing the text. I am explaining my settings in the context in which I use them which includes Adobe Acrobat Pro X and Windows 8.1 Pro. They can be modified as needed for other uses. If you wish to test different scenarios, please do so without the expectation that others will do it for you.

The primary feature is to combine multiple pages of pdfs while retaining the true text for searching, keeping the file size at a minimum and the print quality at a maximum.

Key requirements: Properly set up Acrobat Print Settings Joboptions (explained below)

    Custom Page Size as needed

    Page Sizing & Handling: Multiple

    Pages per sheet: Custom: 1 by 5 (for example)

Old way was to place and arrange multiple pdf's in modelspace and use multiple viewports to reassemble the pages into a detail in the plan layout view. Note that this required me to customize th Adobe print settings. Plan files I receive from architects and engineers indicate that their standard settings result in these files pdfs being rasterized resulting in huge files that are fuzzy looking and print poorly.

New way is to create a one page pdf that is as long as needed to contain all the the original pages while not losing the editable/searchable text or vector lines. This single document makes both the creation of the plan document and management of the referenced files easier. Note that the original multi-page document must not be a raster (image, not true text) document. There may be many other ways to do this. This works for me and has taken a lot longer to write up then to set up (worked in my initial pass). Defaults indicated below are my current defaults which may have been altered from Adobe's defaults.

The first thing you are going to need is a Adobe PDF Settings "joboptions" file with settings that minimize damage to the text and vector contents in a pdf. My settings are based on my prior experience in creating lightweight, non-rasterized pdfs from and for Autocad.

The following are settings specific to creating the needed custom Adobe PDF settings file.

File > Print >  {set printer to Adobe PDF} > Properties

Default Settings: (yours probably says Standard - you will need to create a new configuration to avoid rasterizing your pdf) > Edit (important: you must use Saveas later to create a new, reusable Settings choice).

General:

    Compatibility: Acrobat 8.0 (PDF 1.7)

    Object Level Compression: Off

    Auto-Rotate Pages: Collectively by File

    Binding: Left

    Resolution: 600

    All Pages

    Optimize for fast web view

    Default Page Size. Width: 8.5  Height: 55 (for my initial 5 letter size conversion); Units: Inches

Images: Turn all Downsample and Compression to OFF

Fonts:

    Embed all fonts: Check (meaning the fonts in the current document)

    Subset embedded fonts... less than: 100% (if you think this pdf may need to be editing, I would turn this off)

    When embedding fails: Warn and continue

    Embedding

            Font Source will be your Fonts

            Always Embed: none (doesn't seem much point since you will "Embed all fonts" per above)

            Never Embed: none (Probably lists a bunch of standard fonts. Assuming that others have thes fonts on their devices is probably a mistake.)

Color: (Keep in mind my usage is to create monochrome files for construction plans. You may want to manage your colors)

    Adobe Color Settings file: None

    Color Management Policies:: Leave Color Unchanged; Document Rendering Intent: Preserve

    Working Spaces: all grayed out due to "Leave Color Unchanged"

    Device-Dependant Data

        both unchecked

Advanced

    The only item that I think might affect the desired outcome is: checked "Save original JPEG images in PDF if possible".  The original pdf already had its jpeg images compressed. Doing more most likely will result in very poor quality.

Standards

    Compliance Standard: None

    rest grayed out

IMPORTANT: Use Save As... at bottom of any of the screens to create a new ".joboptions" file. Mine was saved in the default location: C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Adobe PDF\Settings

The following are settings specific to creating a single page from a multi-page pdf.

PRINTER SETTINGS

Printer: {Adobe PDF} Properties (by tab)

    Layout: Portrait

    Paper/Quality

        Paper Source: OnlyOne (automatically might work, but is what I tried)

        Color: Black & White (for construction plan printing)

        Advanced:

            Paper Size: Oversize 8.5 x 55 (example for 5 letter sheets)

                Must be created if not previously done. Create new sizes as needed.

            Copy Count: 1 copy (default)

            Print Quality: 1200dpi (default)

            Image Color Management:

                ICM items grayed out

                Scaling: 100%

                TrueType Font: Substitute with Device Font

            Document Options - unchanged

    Adobe PDF Settings - the Default Settings must be changed from Standard or similar to the new Adobe PDF Settings File you (may have) created above.

        Default Settings: (see my settings below)(yours probably says Standard - you will need to create a new configuration to avoid rasterizing your pdf)

        Multi-page PDF for Autocad (custom settings I created)           

        Adobe PDF Security: None

        Adobe PDF Output Folder: Prompt for Adobe PDF filename

        Adobe PDF Page Size: Oversize 8.5 x 55 (for example - created previously - see above)

        Rest of tab settings do not matter

Adobe Acrobat Print Settings

    Print All or Pages range

    Page Sizing & Handling: Multiple

        Pages per sheet: Custom: 1 by 5 (for example)

        Page order: Vertical

        Orientation: Portrait

Print (ta-da!)

As previously noted, this is not intended to be the only way. There may be a number of settings which can be changed and still provide the same results. Page size settings, of course, must be changed in accordance with your specific needs. I hope my explanation helps others as I have been helped many times from people's explanations of a wide array of things. (I also intend to give it to my architect and engineers so that their plans will be better and more portable.)

[johnxiedk]

You can download a PDF-printer (for mac it could be sourceforge.net/projects/pdfwriterformac/) and do it the way you used to . You select your files, choose print, choose two pages pr page, choose your pdf-printer and boom!

[Guest]

Best I could do (with XP, AA8)...

1. from Acrobat pdf, 'Copy File to Clipboard'

2. paste into new Word doc

3. edit pages layout etc

4. 'print' as AdobePDF

...at least one way to do it ?

[Tashka]

Here's what I've learned about this common need.

Adobe refuses to add a "merge page" command despite it's stratospheric cost.

So, you won't find any.

There are many workarounds that vary from simple to complex.

Many are noted in this thread.  Here's is what I prefer:

The simplest method retaining max PDF info from the originals is to use the print multiple option.

- Open the PDF in the full Adobe package (not the Reader, of course)

- Select the pages you want to merge

- Choose Print to PDF

- In the PDF printer dialog, Choose the "Multiple" tab (Windows) or similar in Mac.

- In this tab, chose the orientation, rows, and columns to squeeze the images as you wish.

- Use the preview you have in this tab to see the approximate result.

- Then Print it to whatever file name you want.

- Expand the left margin in the original PDF that is still open to show page thumbnails.

- Click the down arrow on the page icon at the top.

- Choose insert page from file.

- Select the PDF you just created with the combined pages.

- View the result, in situ, to ensure that's what you want.

- Delete the former separate pages.

- Save this PDF as a NEW file to ensure you don't trash your original.

- You are done!

Example:

I had PDF images of the front and obverse of an important check but didn't want to waste 2 whole pages for this one check.  So, I chose both pages and used the method above.  I choose Landscape mode with 1 column and 2 rows since the checks are very wide and not too tall.  They fit on a landscape page nicely with only about 5% shrinkage - which was fine since exact scale was not needed.

Another typical example where I use this method is when I crop 2 or more pages, making each much less tall than a full page.  I'd use the same method above to merge 2 or 3 pages into 1, assuming they fit well.

Yet another example of this method is for creating posters of smaller pages on larger papers.  Using "tabloid" sized papers such as (17x22) you can print 4 pages in a 2x2 configuration.  This also allows you to create a master sheet for a print shop to use to publish a newsletter to be cut into 2-ups for folding and stapling. 

I hope this helps.  It is the method I find the easiest and most intuitive - though I am amazed at the plethora of alternatives presented here.

[Petteri_Paananen]

hmm, this is 5 years old post, I have very little need for doing anything with PDFs anymore...

besides your tip is not working with mac since printing PDF from PDF is not supported on Mac OS X...

but thanks anyway... maybe some windows user needs this tip...=)

[philips61638328]

03-24-2017: Here is how to combine two pages side-by-side just as would be with an open magazine in front of you. I am using Windows 10 with Microsoft Office Picture Manager and MS Paint.

Check these PDFs to see how it looks:  http://tinyurl.com/kamh4sa  and this: http://tinyurl.com/mlsgcjp 

Remove the “-red” in the file address after loaded for the full quality PDF if desidred – these two are the reduced file size PDFs.

I have spent much time with Adobe Support .Whatever method you use just using Acrobat will just be readable as such with Adobe Reader and Acrobat. If you want to have your PDF file readable in side-by-side when loaded from a web site then you need to do as follows:

Always scan documents to image files (.jpg).

Using Acrobat convert any PDF files to image files using File-Export To… - image – jpg

Edit (crop, brighten, define as white area) each jpg in Picture Manager as needed - save.

Open Page 1 in MS Paint – from View – zoom out to see total page – drag handle to create sufficient white space to the right of Page 1 – From Home – Paste – Paste from – Page 2 file will superimpose over Page 1 – drag to right and position – do any cropping – rotate to crop left and top sides – rotate back – save.

Do for all pages – select in File Explorer all the dual page jpgs and right click – “Combine files in Acrobat” and go from there. Any issues I am at: philsaun44 at gmail.com  -- good luck., Phil

[mikes22996626]

As of 2018 - With the new Adobe Acrobat Pro DC (creative cloud),

1. Simply click Edit PDF (on the right)

2. Select All (ctrl + A)

3. Copy (ctrl + C)

4. Create a new PDF that's big enough to hold all your pages (use the measure tool if necessary to measure the individual pages, then do some simple math to find out how big you need).

5. Paste the copied stuff on the new page, and move into place by hovering the mouse over what you pasted until your mouse turns into the "4 arrows in every direction", then drag it into place.

[Arokia5FBF]

VERY SIMPLE... OPEN https://combinepdf.com/ UPLOAD YOUR FILES AND ITS DONE!

[steveng27351784]

I just saved each of the two pages I wanted to combine as .png files. I pasted each into w Word Doc, resized them so they'd fit on a single page, then saved the Word doc out as a pdf. Voila. 

[FYD-Adventure]

2022 still not simple way to do it, so I finally open them in Photoshop and then export to PDF.
Maybe it can help someone not loosing hours and hours to try something who can be done in 2 easy step in Photoshop

[Frog Printz 70]

I Just went to print, then I chose mutiple, it put all 4 of my pages on one page and then I printed it to a pdf.  Pow! Pages combined.