Booklet page order calculator for printing
Type how many pages your booklet has and see which pages go on each sheet of paper, front and back, so that it reads 1, 2, 3… once printed on both sides, folded in half and stapled. Free, on your phone or computer.
Print on both sides with "flip on short edge", put the sheets in order (sheet 1 outside), fold in half and staple in the middle.
How booklet page order works
Each sheet of paper holds 4 pages: two on the front and two on the back. The outside sheet carries the first and the last pages, the middle sheet the pages in the middle. For an 8-page booklet:
| Sheet | Front (left · right) | Back (left · right) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (outside) | 8 · 1 | 2 · 7 |
| 2 (inside) | 6 · 3 | 4 · 5 |
That is why a booklet needs a page count that is a multiple of 4. With 14 pages, the calculator adds 2 blank pages at the end, to reach 16: you can put them before the back cover, as notes pages.
A5 and half-letter booklets
- A4 sheets, folded in half, make an A5 booklet (148 × 210 mm pages)
- US Letter sheets, folded in half, make a half-letter booklet (5.5 × 8.5 in pages)
- The page order is the same for every paper size: only the count of pages matters
- Thick books (more than about 12 sheets): fold them in groups of sheets and put the groups one after the other — the calculator gives the order of each group
Let the computer put the pages in order
You don't have to move the pages by hand: Adobe Acrobat Reader prints a PDF as a booklet, and Word has a "Book fold" page setting. Every step: how to make a booklet and print it from a PDF.
GizmoBloom's PDF tools make the booklet PDF for you, in this same order, with the blank pages added: open it and print on both sides.
Questions about booklet page order
Why must a booklet have a multiple of 4 pages?
Because one sheet of paper, folded in half, makes 4 pages: 2 on each side. 8, 12, 16 or 20 pages fit exactly; any other count needs blank pages to fill the last sheet.
How many sheets of paper do I need for a booklet?
The number of pages divided by 4, rounded up: 16 pages = 4 sheets, 20 pages = 5 sheets, 14 pages = 4 sheets with 2 blank pages.
Which page goes next to page 1?
The last page: in a 16-page booklet, page 16 and page 1 share the front of the outside sheet, and pages 2 and 15 are on its back.
How do I print the pages in this order?
Easiest: let the printing program do it — Acrobat Reader's "Booklet" printing or Word's "Book fold". To place the pages yourself (for example in a drawing program), put them two by two on landscape sheets in the order above, then print on both sides with "flip on short edge".
What is a signature?
A group of sheets folded together. A thick book is made of several signatures put one after the other, so the pages near the middle don't stick out. Choose "In groups of" sheets above to get the order of each group.
Make printable booklets and books
GizmoBloom makes activity books, coloring books and puzzle books, and turns any PDF into a booklet ready to print. Every plan has a 7-day money-back guarantee on your first payment.