Setting Up Files for Booklets (The Easy Version)
If you’re ordering a booklet, the best thing you can send me is a multi-page PDF with pages in normal reading order:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5… all the way through the back cover
That count includes everything:
front cover
inside front cover
interior pages
inside back cover
back cover
No spreads. No printer layouts. No imposition wizardry required. I take care of that part.
Wire-Bound Booklets (Coil Binding)
For wire-bound books, the page count just needs to be an even number of pages.
Important detail:
Page count = number of pages in your PDF-not the number of sheets of paper used.
Saddle-Stitched Booklets (Stapled)
Stapled booklets are built differently.
They’re made from sheets folded in half, and each folded sheet creates four pages.
So these need a page count that’s a multiple of 4:
Examples:
8 pages ✅
12 pages ✅
16 pages ✅
10 pages ❌ (needs 2 more pages, or 2 less pages)
15 pages ❌ (needs 1 more pages, or 3 less pages)
If your file lands close but not quite there, I can usually help add blanks where needed.
The Ideal File to Upload
Best possible setup:
single multi-page PDF
pages in order: 1, 2, 3, 4…
sized at your final trim size
includes bleed if your artwork runs to the edge
crop marks optional (helpful but not required)
If your file opens and reads like a normal book on your screen, you probably did it right