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Booklet Page Order Calculator
Work out saddle-stitch page imposition for any booklet.
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What this tool does
Enter the number of pages in your booklet and get the exact saddle-stitch imposition — which page numbers print on the front and back of each sheet — so the folded, stapled booklet reads in the right order.
Settings
Booklet pages
Rounded to 8 pages · 2 sheets.
Print double-sided, flip on the short edge, at 100% scale. Stack in order, fold, and staple the centre.
Result
Imposition order
| Sheet | Front (pages) | Back (pages) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| 2 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
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Print booklets that fold into the right order
A saddle-stitched booklet is made of sheets folded in half and stapled along the spine. Because of the folding, the pages do not print in 1-2-3 order: page 1 shares a sheet with the last page, page 2 with the second-to-last, and so on. This calculator gives you the imposition — exactly which page numbers go on the front and back of each printed sheet — so your booklet reads correctly once folded.
Enter the total page count and the tool rounds up to the nearest multiple of four (booklets always need pages in groups of four) and lists every sheet.
Why pages come in fours
Each folded sheet holds four pages — two on the front, two on the back. So a booklet's page count is always a multiple of four. If your content does not divide evenly, blank pages are added at the end. A 6-page document becomes an 8-page booklet with two blanks.
How the imposition works
For a booklet of N pages, the first sheet prints page N and page 1 on one side, and page 2 and page N-1 on the other. The next sheet steps inward: N-2 and 3, then 4 and N-3, and so on until the middle. The calculator lists each sheet's outer and inner page pairs ready for double-sided printing.
How to use it
- Enter your total page count.
- Read the imposition table — each row is one sheet with its front and back page pairs.
- Print double-sided (flip on short edge), stack the sheets in order, fold together, and staple along the centre.
Notes and limitations
- This is for saddle-stitch (folded-and-stapled) booklets. Perfect-bound books use a different, sheet-by-sheet imposition.
- Set your printer to double-sided, flip on the short edge, and 100% scale so pages align across the fold.
- For thick booklets, creep (pages shifting outward when folded) can require trimming; this tool gives the page order, not creep compensation.
FAQs
Quick answers
Why must booklet pages be a multiple of four?
Each folded sheet carries four pages (two per side). Booklets are built from whole sheets, so the total is always a multiple of four; blanks are added to fill the last sheet.
Which way do I flip when printing double-sided?
Flip on the short edge for booklet imposition. Flipping on the long edge will print the back pages upside down relative to the front.
What is creep?
In thick booklets the inner folded pages stick out slightly beyond the outer ones. This is creep. The page order stays the same; you trim the fore-edge after folding to even it up.
Can I use this for perfect-bound books?
No — perfect binding glues stacked single sheets, so pages print in normal order. This calculator is specifically for saddle-stitched (folded) booklets.
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