How to set up InDesign to print two pages on one 8.5x11 sheet?

[nashvillecsx]

Hello, I want to make a spiral bound book that will be 8.5 x 5.5. Of course I want to first print to 8.5x11 sheet of paper and later cut that in half (where each page would be 8.5x5.5). Can someone tell me how to set that up? I want to add page # also.

Thank You!

[Derek Cross]

Are you proposing to print this document on your desk-top printer? If so I suggest you do some tests before you proceed to see if it's feasible – that is to day whether you can print double sided sheets that register.

If you're cutting these in half by hand you can set it up as two facing pages (or one large one!).

You add page numbers via the Master pages – Create a Text Frame then: Type > Insert Special Character > Markers > Current Page Number (a letter A will be inserted which you can position and format and which will appear as the page number on the document's pages).

[Jongware]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Derek+Cross  wrote

If you're cutting these in half by hand you can set it up as two facing pages (or one large one!).

Good advice all the way up to the "as one large one"! You mustn't'n't do that – InDesign is only able to add proper page numbers to proper individual pages, and it's limited to One Page Number Per Page as well.

[Derek Cross]

Yeah, thanks – I was thinking that, after I posted!

[nashvillecsx]

Thanks for your reply.

So in the New Document dialog box I should set my page size to 8.5 x 5.5 and facing pages?

I'm printing to a HP Color laser that I do want to print double sided.

Also, to be honest, it gets confusing to me how I'm going to print to full letter, both sides and then cut in half and have the pages come out correctly when bound. If you know what I'm saying here.

Dang... this isn't as easy as it first seemed!

Thanks

[Derek Cross]

Yes the trimmed page size  (TPS) is 8.5" x 5.5" (plus bleed, if some images bleed).

Best to work in RGB color mode and print from a PDF.

Is it a duplex printer, what is the maximum sheet size it prints and presumably it's not an edge to edge printer?

[Bill Silbert]

In addition to what Derek and Jongware said you should be aware that if there is any art that bleeds then you will have to print your pages on a larger page size with crop marks and then trim them to size. This is because virtually every printer needs approximately a quarter of an inch for its grippers and that quarter of an inch will print as just blank paper. Also, professionally speaking, spiral bound books should be prepared as single pages with bleed all around since they will actually be printed as single pages and then bound with wire.

[nashvillecsx]

Thanks guys for your helpful replies.

I've been researching this on the web and it looks like I need to utilize the Booklet printing feature in InDesign.

Any of you have experience with that feature?

[Derek Cross]

No!

[nashvillecsx]

Derek, it would please me to NOT use the booklet feature if someone could explain how to do this otherwise. The book I want to print will be about 100 pages at the 8.5 x 5.5 size. I sure didn't know the can of worms I was opening here until I started to think this thing out and it gets very confusing how to do it.

It would take 25 sheets of letter size paper with two pages front and two back.

[jane-e]

Who will be doing the spiral binding?

Who will be doing the final printing?

[nashvillecsx]

Going to do the binding mysellf.

[rob day]

Going to do the binding mysellf.

Does your printer print duplex? I think to get InDesign's Print Booklet to work you will need a duplex printer. Otherwise you can export a PDF and use Acrobat's Booklet feature, which will let you print the front and back of the sheet separately.