RandoziBooklet Page Order Calculator
A folded booklet needs a multiple of 4 pages in a special order. Enter your page count to see which pages go on the front and back of each sheet.
Sheets of paper
3
| Sheet | Front (left | right) | Back (left | right) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | blank | 1 | 2 | blank |
| 2 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 9 |
| 3 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
Printing double-sided by hand
- Pass 1: print the fronts of sheets 1 to 3. Pages in order: 12, 1, 10, 3, 8, 5.
- Pass 2: print the backs of sheets 1 to 3. Pages in order: 2, 11, 4, 9, 6, 7.
How to put the printed sheets back in the tray depends on your printer, so print one test sheet first and check which way the pages face before printing the whole stack.
After pass 1 the stack may come out in reverse order, depending on the printer: check with one test sheet before printing the rest.
Add 2 blank pages at the end of your document: the copied order uses the page numbers 11 to 12 for them.
Paper for several copies
Sheets per copy
3
Sheets in all
3
Printed sides
6
How it works
- Enter the number of pages of your document.
- Read how many sheets you need and how many blank pages are added at the end.
- Use the table: for each sheet, the pages for the front (left and right) and for the back.
- Print double-sided, fold the stack in half and staple along the fold.
- For a book that reads right to left, switch the reading direction: the two pages of each face swap sides.
- No automatic double-sided printing? Follow the two passes (fronts, then backs), and enter a number of copies to see how many sheets of paper you need.
What people use it for
Zines and programmes
Print a 12-page programme on 3 sheets of paper.
Manuals and notes
Turn a short guide into a booklet that opens flat.
Printers without a booklet mode
Use the order with the page range field of any print dialog.
Questions
- Why a multiple of 4?
- One sheet printed on both sides and folded in half makes 4 pages. A 10-page document needs 12 pages, so add 2 blank pages at the end of the file before printing. The copied order refers to them as pages 11 and 12.
- How is the order computed?
- For a document padded to N pages, sheet k carries pages N − 2k + 2 and 2k − 1 on the front, then 2k and N − 2k + 1 on the back. With 8 pages, sheet 1 is 8 | 1 on the front and 2 | 7 on the back.
- Does it work for any paper size?
- Yes, the order does not depend on the paper. The folded page is half the sheet, so A4 sheets give A5 pages and Letter sheets give half-Letter pages. Flip on the short edge when printing double-sided.
- How do I print the back sides by hand?
- Print all the fronts first (pass 1), then put the stack back in the tray and print all the backs (pass 2). Which way the sheets must be put back depends on your printer, so print a single test sheet first and check that the back lands upside up behind the front. The stack may also come out in reverse order after the first pass, depending on the printer: the same test sheet shows that too.
- What changes for a right-to-left book?
- The page numbers stay the same but the two pages of every face swap places, because the spine is on the right. With 8 pages, sheet 1 becomes 1 | 8 on the front and 7 | 2 on the back. The copy field gives the sheets per copy, the total sheets and the printed sides for the number of copies you enter.