FoldProof booklet guide
How to print a booklet from a PDF on Mac
A booklet is not ordinary two-up printing. The outer sheet must carry the last and first pages together, inner sheets move toward the center spread, and every back face must match the printer's duplex behavior.
1. Preserve and inspect the source
Work from a finished PDF, record its SHA-256 and audit page sizes. Mixed trim sizes can be scaled, but they should never be discovered only after paper is cut.
2. Choose the finished paper
Use Letter for an 11 by 8.5 inch landscape sheet that folds to 5.5 by 8.5 inches. Use A4 landscape to fold to A5.
3. Build four-page sheets
Pad the source to a multiple of four, keep each blank visible and arrange outer pages before inner spreads. For eight pages, the first front is 8 | 1 and its back is 2 | 7.
4. Match duplex behavior
Short-edge flipping is the common landscape booklet path. If the printer requires long-edge flipping, compensate the back order and rotation deliberately instead of hoping the driver does it.
5. Print one physical proof
Print, fold and number-check one copy before a run. A proof PDF explains the intended arrangement, but the physical test verifies the real printer, driver and feed direction.