How do I print 4 pages per sheet from a PDF?

Choose N-up with 2 columns and 2 rows. Orientation Auto picks portrait or landscape paper, whichever makes the pages larger, and the order can run across then down, down then across, or from the right. Download the imposed PDF and print it at actual size (100%): the scaling is already done, so letting the printer fit it again shrinks everything a second time.

What page order does a booklet use?

For 8 pages on A4 landscape, sheet 1 carries pages 8 and 1 on the front and 2 and 7 on the back; sheet 2 carries 6 and 3, then 4 and 5. Fold each sheet in half, nest them in order and staple on the fold, and the pages read 1 to 8. When the page count is not a multiple of four, blank pages are added at the end, or before the last page so it stays the back cover.

Which edge should I flip on when printing double-sided?

For a booklet, flip on the short edge. If your printer only flips on the long edge, set Printer flips on to Long edge and every back side is printed upside down, so it still reads upright once the sheet is turned on the fold. For two-sided n-up, pick the edge your printer will flip on and how you will turn the sheets, sideways like a book or upward like a notepad; the plan names the flip to choose in the print dialog.

Why do my pages print smaller than 100%?

Fit scales each page to its cell after the margins and gutters. Two A4 pages side by side on one A4 sheet come out at 70.7% with no margins, and at 66.4% with the default 18 pt margin and 12 pt gutter. To keep 100%, use paper twice the page size, such as A5 pages on A4 or A4 pages on A3 with no margins, or choose Scale: Actual size, which prints 100% and cuts anything larger than the cell.

Are there limits on the PDF?

PDFs up to 100 MB and 500 pages are read here. An encrypted PDF is refused by name, and a file whose structure or page drawings would unpack past the limits is refused with a message saying which, before any page is copied. The sheet preview turns itself off for images over 50 million pixels, and the imposed PDF is still made.

PDF N-up and Booklet Imposition

Choose N-up to place a grid of pages, up to 10 by 10, on each side of A4, Letter, A3, A5, Legal or Tabloid paper, or Booklet to reorder the pages for a saddle-stitched booklet, padded with blank pages to a multiple of four. Pages are placed as vector content, so text stays sharp and selectable. The plan gives the sheet, the cell, the scale and the edge to flip on; the preview draws each printed side from the imposed PDF itself, and the sheet list names every page and blank on every side. PDFs up to 100 MB and 500 pages are read in this tab and never uploaded.

PDFnone open

previewnone yet

Each printed side appears here, drawn from the imposed PDF itself.

· or drop one anywhere on the stage

Never uploadedNo accountUp to 100 MB and 500 pagesText stays selectable

Pages

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Per side

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Sheets

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Scale

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8-page booklet2 per side of A4 landscape, double-sided, flip on short edge
sheet 1: 8 and 1, back 2 and 7; sheet 2: 6 and 3, back 4 and 5
5-page PDF as a bookletpadded to a multiple of 4
3 blank pages added as 6, 7 and 8, marked blank in the preview; 2 sheets
Page with selectable textimposed 4 per side, then searched in a PDF reader
the text is still selectable and found; pages are not turned into images

Accuracy. Page order is exact: n-up fills each side in the reading order you pick, and a booklet is padded with blank pages to a multiple of four and ordered so the folded sheets read from the first page to the last. Pages are placed as vector content, so text stays sharp and selectable, and form fields and comments marked for printing are drawn from their stored appearance. What prints depends on your printer, which this page cannot control: the paper matches the preview only at actual size (100%) and, for two-sided sheets, with the flip edge the plan names.

Common questions

How do I print 4 pages per sheet from a PDF?: Choose N-up with 2 columns and 2 rows. Orientation Auto picks portrait or landscape paper, whichever makes the pages larger, and the order can run across then down, down then across, or from the right. Download the imposed PDF and print it at actual size (100%): the scaling is already done, so letting the printer fit it again shrinks everything a second time.
What page order does a booklet use?: For 8 pages on A4 landscape, sheet 1 carries pages 8 and 1 on the front and 2 and 7 on the back; sheet 2 carries 6 and 3, then 4 and 5. Fold each sheet in half, nest them in order and staple on the fold, and the pages read 1 to 8. When the page count is not a multiple of four, blank pages are added at the end, or before the last page so it stays the back cover.
Which edge should I flip on when printing double-sided?: For a booklet, flip on the short edge. If your printer only flips on the long edge, set Printer flips on to Long edge and every back side is printed upside down, so it still reads upright once the sheet is turned on the fold. For two-sided n-up, pick the edge your printer will flip on and how you will turn the sheets, sideways like a book or upward like a notepad; the plan names the flip to choose in the print dialog.
Will the text still be selectable after imposing?: Yes. Each page is placed as vector content, the same drawing instructions scaled into its cell, not an image, so text stays selectable and searchable. Form fields and comments marked for printing are drawn from their stored appearance, as a reader prints them. Links stop being clickable, and annotations that are hidden or not marked for printing are left out.
Why do my pages print smaller than 100%?: Fit scales each page to its cell after the margins and gutters. Two A4 pages side by side on one A4 sheet come out at 70.7% with no margins, and at 66.4% with the default 18 pt margin and 12 pt gutter. To keep 100%, use paper twice the page size, such as A5 pages on A4 or A4 pages on A3 with no margins, or choose Scale: Actual size, which prints 100% and cuts anything larger than the cell.
Are there limits on the PDF?: PDFs up to 100 MB and 500 pages are read here. An encrypted PDF is refused by name, and a file whose structure or page drawings would unpack past the limits is refused with a message saying which, before any page is copied. The sheet preview turns itself off for images over 50 million pixels, and the imposed PDF is still made.

Page order is exact: n-up fills each side in the reading order you pick, and a booklet is padded with blank pages to a multiple of four and ordered so the folded sheets read from the first page to the last. Pages are placed as vector content, so text stays sharp and selectable, and form fields and comments marked for printing are drawn from their stored appearance. What prints depends on your printer, which this page cannot control: the paper matches the preview only at actual size (100%) and, for two-sided sheets, with the flip edge the plan names.