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Theleanwarehouse
Theleanwarehouse
Participant
January 31, 2019
Answered

Print A5 page twice on one A4 page

  • January 31, 2019
  • 2 replies
  • 13908 views

Hello,

I have 1000+ page A5 portrait indesign file. I need to print each portrait A5 page twice on a landscape A4 page, which we then cut in half with our guillotine. Is there any easy way to change the document to the format mentioned above?

Thanks

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer winterm

Assuming your A5 file now has not Facing pages.

1. Make a copy of your A5 file (say, a5-1.indd and a5-2.indd)

2. Download and install the script from this thread, post #27.

3. Open both copies of your file in InDesign.

4. Run the script. New document is generated.

5. Switch to that new doc, in Document Setup dialog tick Facing Pages ON, and define Start Page #: 2.

6. You'll get a document in spreads, with the same design doubled on each spread.

7. Now you can export PDF as Spreads, or print directly from InDesign, whatever floats your boat.

2 replies

J
Community Expert
Jeffrey_SmithCommunity Expert
Community Expert
January 31, 2019

Are you using Mac or Windows? If Mac, Apple Preview has a "Copies per Page" option in the print dialog, which you would export PDF from ID, open in Preview and print with said option.

Derek Cross
Community Expert
Derek CrossCommunity Expert
Community Expert
January 31, 2019

It's known as "Two-up".

Set your new document up as A4 landscape and set up the A5 upright page on the left-hand side, when you've finalised it make a copy for the right hand side. If you're using A4 desk-top printer, don't have any bleeds as they won't fit on the sheet.

Theleanwarehouse
TheleanwarehouseAuthor
Participant
January 31, 2019

Hi Derek,

That would still require me to go through every single page manually and copy everything across though? I would like to try automate the process as its 1000 pages - The thought of doing 1000 manual page copies is giving me shudders!

winterm
winterm
Legend
February 1, 2019

So my original file was done with facing pages. When I turn facing pages off it adjusts the pages and makes everything unaligned!


Hm, already prepared another approach for you, but suddenly realized then, that facing/no facing stuff shouldn't matter at all. Just ignore the first sentence in my 1st post, and try.

Ah, and in pos. 5 wording should be a bit more precise: you won't need to 'switch' anywhere, script will close both source documents and will leave you with newly generated Untitled indd file.

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