Booklets and brochures
Zines, lookbooks, catalogs, reports: one frame per page, and the plugin handles ordering and imposition.
Set up the pages
Create one frame per page with the Setup tab, all the same size, named with numbers: "page 1", "page 2", and so on. Natural sorting understands numbers, so "page 2" sorts before "page 10". Design spreads visually by placing page pairs side by side on the canvas; export still happens per page.
Page count rules
Saddle-stitched booklets (folded and stapled) physically require a page count divisible by four. The plugin pads with blank pages automatically, but blanks at the end of your booklet look accidental; plan 8, 12, 16, or 20 pages deliberately and use the spares for notes pages or imprint.
Ordering and imposition
In the PDF tab:
- Name
Reader order- Type
- Imposition: none
- Description
Pages in reading order, one per PDF page. This is what most commercial printers want: their own imposition software handles sheet layout. When in doubt, send this.
- Name
2-up spreads- Type
- Imposition: 2-up
- Description
Pairs side by side. Good for on-screen proofing and client review.
- Name
Booklet (saddle stitch)- Type
- Imposition: saddle
- Description
Printer sheet order: 8 pages become sheets 8+1, 2+7, 6+3, 4+5, inner bleed cropped so spreads join cleanly. Print double-sided flipping on the short edge, fold, staple. Perfect for office-printer zines and self-produced booklets.
Covers
For a cover on different stock, export the cover pages as a separate PDF (select only those frames, or use Separate PDFs) and tell the shop which file is the cover.
Honest limitation: the plugin does not do creep compensation (shifting inner pages outward to account for paper thickness in thick saddle-stitched booklets). Under about 16 pages it is invisible. For thick booklets, send reader order and let the shop's imposition software handle creep.
Checklist for handoff
Same-size frames, numbered names, DPI check green, preflight done, reader-order PDF/X-1a unless the shop asked for imposed sheets.