How to create booklet from a multi-document book.

[klarina2000]

Please help.

I have a multiple document book (see attached file) that I need to print as a booklet.

For the life of me I cannot find how to do it.

This document will have 32 pages (created in segments by data merge and put together in a book).

When I send the book to print, the only option it gives me is to print it directly, not as a booklet.

How do I go from here to print a multi document book into a booklet?

Thanks in advance.

[SJRiegel]

Export the Book into a PDF file, and then print your booklet from the PDF.

[klarina2000]

The thing is that I need to save it to PDF and Adobe PDF reader does not let me do that.

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

InDesign has a direct PDF export.

[klarina2000]

Yes and it exports the book one page per page. But what I need is to export the book as a booklet (two pages per page, all put together in a booklet format).

[Joel Cherney]

I feel like you might need to post a few more details in order to get the answer you're looking for. But, if I'm wrong, and I actually do understand what you're asking for: let's imagine that your paper size is LetterHalf, and you're planning on printing your booklet on letter size paper, and you want a PDF with the page order set up for these purposes. (So, for a 12-page booklet, then your first landscape lettersize page has pages 12 and 1, your second has 11 and 2, your third 10 and 3, and so on. Right?)

There are numerous ways to do this, but I very much doubt you could do it with Reader. You could do it with Acrobat Pro, which you most likely have a license for, if you are a Creative Cloud subscriber. Here are instructions for doing so. However, maybe you don't want to do that? Or you have an InDesign-only subscription, perhaps? Whatever the case, you can use this hacky duck-tape workaround that I do not reccomend:

1) Start by exporting a PDF of your entire book in reading order with LetterHalf paper size

2) Next place the resultant PDF in a fresh InDesign document in reading order with LetterHalf paper size

3) Then Print Booklet

4) In Print Settings, you can choose Adobe PDF as your target printer

[klarina2000]

Thank you. I'm a subscriber. I'll try both options now and see how it goes. 

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

As Joel notes. Export it to PDF, then use PDF's very good booklet printing option to print it as you need it.

InDesign has always had somewhat limited booklet/imposition options, but Acrobat, which can make a document from any app, more than makes up for it.

[klarina2000]

For production purposes, I need to provide a PDF file of my booklet so they can print it directly from the printer. I can't find a way to save my multiple document book into a PDF file in a booklet format (two pages per page) .

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

If you want the pages in booklet order, so that printing (say) four two-sided sheets stacks and center-staples to form a booklet, that's called imposition, and Acrobat Pro does it very well. Start with exporting your InDesign document to linear pages, then either use Acrobat to print that PDF with its booklet feature (under Print), or (in something of a loop) "Print" that output to another PDF, which will then retain the booklet page order. Anyone with Acrobat Reader will be able to just print the booklet stack from that secondary PDF.

[klarina2000]

Thank you so much. 

This worked perfectly for me, I was able to place the multiple page pdf document and end up with a 32 page document to convert to an imposed PDF booklet file.

I really apreciate your help.

[Jeffrey_Smith · Accepted solution]

Unfortunately there is no Print Booklet option available within a book file.

If you want to use Indesign's print booklet feature, here is a workaround. From the book file, export a PDF. Create a new Indesign document. Use the Place Multiple Page PDF script with the combined PDF. This will have 32 single pages that you can use print booklet to create a proof.

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

That may be a better solution than mine, but both start with just exporting the Book to PDF as a first step. Me, I'd prefer to manage it further in Acrobat, since the goal here is a document anyone (not a designer with ID) can print to a booklet stack.