Creating booklets is a great way to present information in a compact and organized format. Whether you’re making programs, guides, or promotional materials, knowing How To Print A Booklet efficiently is a valuable skill. This guide will walk you through the steps using Adobe Reader, focusing on how to optimize your print settings for the best results, even when working with different paper sizes.
Preparing for Booklet Printing in Adobe Reader
Before you hit print, a little setup ensures your booklet comes out perfectly. We’ll focus on using legal-size paper to print a letter-size booklet, a common scenario that can sometimes lead to scaling and margin issues if not configured correctly.
First, open your document in Adobe Reader. Then, navigate to File > Print Setup. Here, you’ll adjust your paper settings to match your printer and paper stock.
Under the Paper settings, ensure the following:
- Size: Select “Legal”. This tells the printer you’re using legal-size paper.
- Source: Choose the tray where your legal-size paper is loaded. This might be labeled “Drawer 3” or something similar depending on your printer model.
Next, set the Orientation to “Landscape”. This is crucial for booklet printing as it positions the page sideways to accommodate two letter-size pages side-by-side on a legal sheet.
Now, click on the Properties button. This opens your printer’s specific settings dialog, which may vary slightly depending on your printer model (like the Canon Image Runner mentioned earlier), but the core options will be similar. Within the printer properties, look for these tabs and settings:
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Page Setup Tab:
- Page Size: Set this to “Legal” to match the paper in your printer.
- Output Size: Also set this to “Legal”.
- Orientation: Choose “Portrait” here. This might seem counterintuitive since we selected Landscape in the previous step, but setting Portrait here within the printer properties helps Adobe Reader correctly format the booklet layout on the legal-size paper.
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Finishing Tab:
- Print Style: Select “Booklet Printing”. This is the key setting that tells the printer to arrange pages in booklet format.
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Paper Source Tab:
- Select By: Choose “Paper Source”.
- Paper Selection: Opt for “Same paper for all pages” for consistency.
- Paper Source: Again, select the drawer containing your legal paper (e.g., “Drawer 3”).
Click “OK” to save these printer properties settings.
Printing Your Booklet
With the setup complete, it’s time to print. Go to File > Print to open the main print dialog in Adobe Reader.
In the Print dialog, configure the following:
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Print Range: Ensure “All” is selected to print the entire document, or specify a page range if needed (e.g., “Pages from 1 to ##”, where ## is the last page).
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Page Handling:
- Page Scaling: Set this to “None”. This prevents Adobe Reader from shrinking or enlarging your pages, ensuring your letter-size content fits appropriately on the legal paper layout.
- Auto-Rotate and Center: Check this box to automatically orient and center the pages on the paper.
- Choose Paper Source by PDF page size: Make sure this is checked. This setting helps Adobe Reader manage paper source based on the document’s page size information.
Finally, click “OK” to start printing your booklet. The preview might still show an 8.5 x 11 layout, but rest assured, the output will utilize the full legal-size paper, fitting two letter-size pages on each side.
Handling Larger Booklets: Divide into Sets
For booklets with more than 15-20 pages, folding a thick stack of paper in half can become cumbersome and result in a less professional finish. To address this, Adobe Reader allows you to divide your booklet into smaller sets, which are easier to fold and manage.
In the Finishing tab within the printer properties (accessed via File > Print Setup > Properties), under “Print Style” and “Booklet Printing”, you’ll typically find an option like “Divide into Sets”. Select this option and specify the number of pages per set. A good number is often around 12 pages per set, but you can adjust based on your paper thickness and desired booklet size. This will print your booklet in manageable sections that you can fold and then bind together, mimicking professional bookbinding techniques.
By following these steps, you can effectively print booklets using Adobe Reader, even when using different paper sizes. Experiment with these settings to find the best configuration for your specific printer and document needs, and enjoy creating your own professionally formatted booklets.
