pdfbook2

creates printable booklets from PDF files by rearranging pages into printer

TLDR

Create a booklet named file-book.pdf with sane defaults

$ pdfbook2 [path/to/file.pdf]

Create a booklet with paper size set to A4

$ pdfbook2 -p a4paper [path/to/file.pdf]

Create a booklet with inner margin reduced to 50 pixels

$ pdfbook2 -p a4paper -i 50 [path/to/file.pdf]

Organize large file with print signatures for binding

$ pdfbook2 -p a4paper --signature 24 [path/to/file.pdf]

pdfbook2 creates printable booklets from PDF files by rearranging pages into printer spreads. The output is designed for double-sided printing in landscape mode with long-edge flipping, resulting in a booklet that can be folded and bound.For larger documents, the signature option divides the booklet into smaller sections (signatures) that can be nested and bound together. Each signature must contain a number of pages divisible by 4.

PARAMETERS

-p, --paper size

Set paper size (a4paper, letterpaper, etc.)

-s, --short-edge

Use short-edge binding (default is long-edge)

-n, --no-crop

Do not crop pages before reassembling

-o, --outer-margin pixels

Set outer margin (default: 40)

-i, --inner-margin pixels

Set inner margin (default: 150)

-t, --top-margin pixels

Set top margin (default: 30)

-b, --bottom-margin pixels

Set bottom margin (default: 30)

--signature num

Number of pages per signature (must be divisible by 4)

--signature\* num

Same as --signature but allow incomplete last signature

-h, --help

Display help message

INSTALL

sudo pacman -S texlive-binextra

sudo apk add texlive-binextra

CAVEATS

Print in landscape mode with long-edge flip for correct results. Signature values must be divisible by 4. Default margins may need adjustment depending on printer capabilities. Requires pdflatex and the pdfpages LaTeX package.

HISTORY

Written as a Python wrapper around pdfpages and pdflatex to simplify booklet creation. Replaces manual LaTeX workflows for creating print-ready booklets from existing PDF documents. Common in the self-publishing and zine-making communities.