How to Print Custom Booklets on Your Computer

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Print professional-looking booklets from your desktop

Written by Travis Boylls

Last Updated: February 26, 2026 Fact Checked

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• Before You Begin
|
• Using Adobe Acrobat Reader
|
• Using Microsoft Word
|
• Video

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Printing booklets can be tricky if you don’t know what you are doing. Getting the pages in the right order can be confusing, especially if your printer isn’t capable of double-sided printing. You also need to consider what kind of paper you are printing on, and how to bind the booklet. Luckily, both Adobe Reader and Microsoft Word can format your documents in the proper format and print your pages in the correct order. This wikiHow article teaches you how to print booklets.

Print Booklets in Adobe Reader

1. Open your Booklet file in Adobe Reader
2. Click the Menu icon (☰) > Print.
3. Enter the number of copies you want to print in the upper-left corner.
4. Click the Booklet tab.
5. Select which subset you want to print (i.e., both sides, front only, back only).
6. Check the preview and click Print.

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Before You Begin

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1. 1
   Check your printer’s capabilities. If you are printing from home, you’ll need to check your printer specifications in the user’s manual or on the manufacturer’s web page. The following are some things you want to check:

   • Maximum paper size: What is the maximum paper size your printer can handle? Most printers can handle 8.5 x 11-inch paper. This allows you to print with a few different page options. If your printer is capable of handling larger pages (such as legal or tabloid paper), this will give you more page size options.
   • Double-sided printing: Can your printer print on both sides at the same time? If your printer is not capable of double-sided printing, you will need to print one side of each page and then reload the pages and print the other side. This adds a little bit of work.
   • Print all the way to the edge: Can your printer print all the way to the edge of the paper? Even if your printer can handle 8.5 x 11-inch sheets of paper, that doesn’t mean it can print all the way to the edge of each sheet. Knowing how close your printer can print to the edge of the sheet will determine your margins and bleeds, as well as how much you need to resize your pages.
2. 2
   Decide what kind of paper you are going to use. There are several types of paper you can choose for your booklet, depending on the content and how much you are willing to spend. The types of paper you can choose are as follows:

   • Black & White Copy: This is typical paper used for everyday use. This type of paper is uncoated and good for printing text or lineart images without any color. It comes in white color, or a few shades of off-white.
   • Uncoated Color Copy: This is a slightly better quality paper for printing color images. It is still uncoated, meaning it is absorbent with the natural fibers exposed. It can come in a variety of different weights and textures.
   • Gloss: This is high-quality color copy paper. This paper is coated with a glossy finish, giving it a shiny look. This type of paper is more durable and has sharper detail in the text and images. This is good for color prints and images.
   • Matte: This is another high-quality color copy paper. This paper is coated with a finish that doesn’t have the same shine as glossy paper does. This is durable paper that has a professional look and feel.
   • Cardstock: Cardstock is thick, durable paper. It is thicker and less flexible than normal paper. It can have a gloss or matte finish (or a glossy front and matte back). This type of paper is good to use as a booklet cover.
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3. 3
   Figure out how you want to bind your book. Binding is how all the pages of your booklet are assembled. Different binding methods can accommodate different numbers of pages and have different costs. The following are some binding methods you can choose from:

   • Saddle-stitch: Saddle-stitch booklets are bound by folding the paper the pages are printed on in half and stapling down the spine. This is a low-cost method of binding books. It can accommodate between 8 and 72 pages, and requires a fixed number of pages in multiples of four. Saddle-stitch books open flat, which makes for a more pleasant reading experience. However, they wear out quickly and are not meant for continual or heavy usage.
   • Self-cover: Self-cover books use the same type of paper for the cover as for the rest of the booklet. This is the lowest cost option available. The pages are usually bound together by staples. This is the best option for instruction manuals or booklets that are meant to be used once and then thrown away.
   • Wire-bound: These books are bound similarly to a spiral notebook. Holes are punched along the edges of the pages and a spiral wire is fed through all the holes, binding the pages together. This is a more durable option than saddle-stich and it can accommodate more pages. However, it still doesn’t look as professional as a perfectly bound book. The wire coil also prevents printing on the spine and adds bulk, making them harder to stack.
   • Perfect Binding: This is the same technique that most paperback books are bound together by. The cover is usually done on cardstock paper with a square spine that can have printing on it. Adhesive is applied to the inside of the cover along the spine, which holds the page in. This is the most expensive binding method. However, it looks more professional and can accommodate a large number of pages.
     • While you can bind your own books at home, this method generally requires special equipment and is usually done by a professional printer.
4. 4
   Decide on the quality of the booklet. Think about what your booklet is going to be used for. Is it going to be a one-time use that immediately gets thrown away, or are people going to reference the booklet over and over again? Does the booklet have lots of diagrams and charts? If so, you might want to invest in larger-sized paper. Does it have a lot of colored images? If so, you might want to invest in better quality paper, such as gloss or matte. Is this booklet going to be used in a professional setting? If so, you might want to print the cover on cardstock and consider having it professionally bound.
5. 5
   Decide on the size and format. Decide how big your pages need to be. A good average size is 5.5 x 8.5-inch pages. Make sure you have margins of at least ¾ of an inch along all sides of the pages. If you are having your booklet perfectly bound, you will also need to set a gutter of about ½ inches in the center of each page. Read the text in your booklet and see if it feels comfortable. If you feel any eye strain, you may want to adjust the line spacing, font size, or arrange the text in columns.

   • If you have any colored pages, be sure to include a bleed on all pages.
6. 6
   Use CMYK color format. Regardless of whether you are using Microsoft Word or a more graphic-design oriented software like Adobe InDesign or Illustrator, be sure to select CMYK as the color format instead of RGB. RGB is the color format used for screen displays. CMYK is the color format used in print materials.
7. 7
   Do test prints. You’ll want to do a couple of test prints to make sure your prints look good. This is especially true if you are using colored images. How an image looks on a computer screen may not be the same as how it looks on paper. It may come out looking too dark or too light. You may need to make some color adjustments to your images, or you may need to change the colors you are using.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Using Adobe Acrobat Reader

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1. 
   1
   Open Acrobat Reader DC on your PC or Mac. Adobe Acrobat Reader DC makes it easy to print multiple-page PDF files as booklets using Windows or macOS. If you're using Windows, you'll usually find it in the Start menu. If you're using a Mac, you'll usually find Acrobat Reader DC in the Applications folder.

   • If you haven't installed Adobe Acrobat Reader DC, download it for free from get.adobe.com/reader.
2. 
   2
   Open the booklet file. Use the following steps to do so:

   • Click the Menu icon with three lines (☰) in the upper-left corner. .
   • Click Open.
   • Open the folder containing the file you want to print.
   • Select the file and click Open.
3. 3
   Open the Print menu. Use the following steps to do so:

   • Click the Menu icon with three lines (☰) in the upper-left corner. .
   • Click Print.
   • On a Mac, go to File > Print or click the printer icon in the menu bar at the top of the app.
4. 4
   Determine the print size. If your printer is capable of printing all the way to the edges, click the radio option next to “Actual Size” below “Page sizing and handling.” If your printer doesn’t print all the way to the edges, click the radio option next to “Custom Scale” and enter 90% to 95% in the box next to this option.

   • If you are printing a custom size, you may need to print a couple of test prints to make sure you get the sizing correct.
5. 
   5
   Click Booklet. It's under the "Page Sizing & Handling" header. A preview of the document in booklet format will appear on the right side of the panel.
6. 6
   Select which side you want to print. This will be determined by the capabilities of your printer. If your printer is capable of double-sided printing, select “Both Sides” next to “Booklet subset.” If your printer is only capable of printing on one side, you’ll need to select “Front side only” first. After you print the front side of each page, you’ll need to turn the pages over and re-insert them into your printer. This time, you’ll need to select “Back side only” and print them again.

   • Be careful to note how you insert your pages if you are printing one side at a time. If you insert the pages wrong, you may print the back side upside down. It may take a couple of test prints to figure out the proper way to insert your pages.
7. 
   7
   Select an option from the "Binding" menu. The default option is Left, which prints the booklet like a book (folded on the left side) for left-to-right text.

   • If you want to fold the booklet on the long side of the page, select Left (Tall).
   • If you're printing in a language that reads right-to-left, select Right or Right (Tall) (if you want to fold the booklet on the long side of the page).
8. 8
   Select how many copies you want to print. Enter the number of copies you want to print in the field next to “Copies” in the upper-right corner.
9. 9
   Print the cover first (optional). If you are using a different type of paper for your cover (i.e., cardstock or gloss), you may want to print the cover for all your copies first. To do so, enter “1” to “1” in the fields next to “Sheets from.” Select which side you want to print (i.e., both sides, front side only, back side only). Print all the cover sheets first using high-quality paper. Then go back and enter “2” to “[end of booklet]” when printing the rest of your booklet on normal quality paper.
10. 
    10
    Set additional printing preferences (optional). Printers vary in capabilities, but you can typically click Properties next to the printer's name to choose additional settings, such as whether you want to conserve ink, print in color, or specify printing margins.

    • Some printers will automatically fold and staple your booklets if you choose the right settings. Check your printer's instruction manual.
11. 
    11
    Check the printing preview before you print. Use the arrow buttons below the print preview to page through the document. If you need to make any changes to the layout, make those changes before you continue.

    • The front page of your booklet will appear backwards (i.e., first page on the right, last page on the left). This is normal. It is compensating for how the pages are folded and how the booklet is bound. The next page will have the second page on the left, and the second-to-last page on the right. The page numbers will keep alternating from left to right, with the last pages alternating from right to left on the opposite side.
12. 
    12
    Click Print to print your booklet. If you have an automatic-duplex printer, the pages will print on both sides of each sheet automatically. If your printer only prints on one side, it will print the side you selected. You will need to reinsert the pages and print them again on the other side.
13. 
    13
    Fold your finished booklet. If your printer did not fold your booklet automatically, fold it along the desired spine (right or left). You can also staple the booklet to keep the pages intact. Then stack the pages in the proper order.
14. 14
    Trim the pages if needed. If your printer does not print all the way to the edge of your pages, you may need to trim the white strips off the edges of your pages. To do so, it is recommended that you use a paper cutter that is capable of cutting multiple pages at once. Cut about ⅛ of an inch into the color around the edges to avoid any white strips along the edges.
15. 15
    Bind your book. If you are using a saddle-stitch binding, simply apply staples along the spine of the booklet where the pages fold. If you are using wire-bound or perfect-binding, follow the instructions on your binding equipment.
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Using Microsoft Word

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1. 
   1
   Open Microsoft Word. You can use Microsoft Word to print any multiple-page DOC or DOCX document as a booklet. You'll usually find Word in a folder called Microsoft Office in the Start menu on Windows or the Applications folder on Mac.
2. 
   2
   Open the document you want to print. Here's how:

   • Click the File menu at the top-left corner.
   • Click Open.
   • Navigate to the folder that contains the file you want to print.
   • Select the document and click Open.
3. 
   3
   Click the PAGE LAYOUT tab. It's at the top of most versions of Word.
4. 
   4
   Click the icon at the bottom-right corner of the "Page Setup" panel. This panel is in the bar that runs along the top of Word. The icon is a tiny square with a diagonal arrow. Clicking this button will open the "Page Setup" dialog box.
5. 
   5
   Select Book fold from the "Multiple pages" menu. It's under the "Pages" header near the center of the dialog box. This changes the orientation to landscape.
6. 
   6
   Adjust your margins and gutter size. These options are under the "Margins" header near the top of the dialog box. The default margins of 1" should work for most peoples' needs, but you may want to increase the "Gutter" value to a value higher than 0.5 inches. This gives you more space around the binding/folded part of the booklet. 0.6 to 1 inch of gutter space should be fine.
7. 
   7
   Click the Paper tab. It's at the top of the dialog box.
8. 
   8
   Choose the correct paper size for your printer and click Ok. This is usually 8.5" x 11" (Letter) in the US, or A4 in Europe. If you're using a different paper size, select that size instead. Click Ok when you are done.
9. 9
   Open the Print menu. To do so, click File in the menu bar at the top, then click Print.
10. 
    10
    Select your printer from the "Printer" menu. Be sure to select a printer that supports printing on both sides of a single page (either automatic or manual duplex).
11. 
    11
    Select a print option under "Settings." The option you choose depends on your printer and your booklet.

    • If your printer automatically prints on both the front and back sides of a sheet without you having to flip the page manually (automatic duplex printing), select Print on Both Sides (Flip pages on long edge) to print in a standard book-like format, or Print on Both Sides (Flip pages on short edge) to flip each page along the shorter side of the page.
    • If you have to manually flip pages to print on both sides, select Manually Print on Both Sides. You'll need to manually reload the pages when prompted by your printer to print on the other side.
    • If you’re printing on a Mac using a printer that doesn’t have duplex capabilities, you’ll need to print on both sides manually by printing the odd pages only first, then the even pages. For more detailed instructions, check out this article.
12. 
    12
    Set additional printing preferences (optional). Printers vary in capabilities, but you can typically click Printer Properties below the printer's name to choose additional settings, such as whether you want to conserve ink, print in color, or specify printing margins.

    • Some printers will automatically fold and staple your booklets if you choose the right settings. Check your printer's instruction manual.
13. 
    13
    Check the printing preview before you print. Use the arrow buttons below the print preview to page through the document. If you need to make any changes to the layout, make those changes before you continue.

    • The front page of your booklet will appear backwards (i.e., first page on the right, last page on the left). This is normal. It is compensating for how the pages are folded and how the booklet is bound. The next page will have the second page on the left, and the second-to-last page on the right. The page numbers will keep alternating from left to right, with the last pages alternating from right to left on the opposite side.
14. 
    14
    Click Print to print your booklet. If you have an automatic-duplex printer, the pages will print on both sides of each sheet automatically. If not, follow the instructions on the printer's panel to reinsert the pages.
15. 
    15
    Fold your finished booklet. If your printer did not fold your booklet automatically, fold it along the desired spine (right or left). You can also staple the booklet to keep the pages intact.
16. 16
    Trim the pages if needed. If your printer does not print all the way to the edge of your pages, you may need to trim the white strips off the edges of your pages. To do so, it is recommended that you use a paper cutter that is capable of cutting multiple pages at once. Cut about ⅛ of an inch into the color around the edges to avoid any white strips along the edges.
17. 17
    Bind your book. If you are using a saddle-stitch binding, simply apply staples along the spine of the booklet where the pages fold. If you are using wire-bound or perfect-binding, follow the instructions on your binding equipment.
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