How do I design and print an 8-12 page booklet?

December 31, 2012 10:11 AM

I need to design and print an 8-12 page booklet for an upcoming Bar Mitzvah. I'm looking for word processor and page setup advice to get this done.

I'm a Mac user and have Google Docs and Pages at my disposal. Do templates exist to make booklet design and printing any easier? If so, I'm not finding them.

I'm looking to use 8.5 * 11 page side, printed landscape, stapled in the middle.

Ideally I can output to PDF and sent it to a local(or online) printing company - I need about 100 booklets for the big event on the 19th of January.

I need to include Hebrew text (which I copy and paste from online sources example http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0213.htm) and Images.

I'm looking for advice on which software to use, how to set up my 'page setup' options, and how to align the pages, etc.

posted by neilkod to computers & internet (5 answers total)

Adobe acrobat X has a print option "to booklet", so if you can get it into a vanilla PDF you should be fine.
posted by jannw at 10:27 AM on December 31, 2012

@jannw does that mean I can lay out the pages sequentially instead of like this http://www.stocklayouts.com/images/blog/newsletter-imposition-spread.jpg ?
posted by neilkod at 10:30 AM on December 31, 2012

Yes, I've done the exact same thing in Pages. Your document will be a series of 5.5 x 8.5 pages. I think I have a utility installed on OSX that puts "print booklet" in the main Print dialog that creates a PDF with first-last, second-second last, etc on 8.5x11 sheets. Then you just need to do two-sided printing with short-edge binding. I'll try to find a link.
posted by supercres at 10:38 AM on December 31, 2012

Yes ... Adobe automagically shuffles the pages into the right order such that you can take the printout, fold, and center-staple for the booklet.
posted by jannw at 10:39 AM on December 31, 2012

I don't think this is the exact one I have (I don't remember it being Automator) but it looks like it will work. (I think the one I found was hosted on a homepage.mac site, RIP.)
posted by supercres at 10:43 AM on December 31, 2012