I have a traditional eight page document (each page being 8.5x11 inches) which I would like to transform into a booklet using two 11x17 pages. Can anyone breakdown how to accomplish this task and/or what tools I need. I have a whole whack of software at my disposal including all Adobe & Microsoft products.
many thanks.
In what format is the document now, and how do you intend to print it, or have it printed? Also, exactly what MS programs do you have, and how familiar are you with them?
The simplest method might be to print it out on 8.5 x 11 sheets, then copy it on a copier that handles 11 x 17 sheets. Here is how the sheets would be ordered:
Sheet 1:
Page 8 | Page 1
Page 2 | Page 7
Sheet 2:
Page 6 | page 3
Page 4 | Page 5
(Of course, when you place the sheets face down on the copier glass, they’ll be reversed. In other words, 1 egaP | 8 egaP.)
If your document is just simple text, without images or graphics that would lose quality being copied optically, this method is simple, quick, and cheap.
If you would prefer to output the file directly to a printer and it is already in Word (or another word processing format), you can re-order the pages as I’ve depicted above, convert it to PDF with Adobe, and give the PDF to your nearby Kinko’s or other local print shop.
If the guys at the print shop know what they’re doing, you don’t have to go to the trouble of re-ordering the pages: they can do it to the PDF themselves.
I’ve just checked, and Word 2000 apparently won’t do this re-ordering for you automatically. (I don’t have Office XP: it may.) MS Publisher can: it has an option to print as a booklet. However, unless you are already familiar with Publisher, I wouldn’t advise using it just for this function. It’s a relatively complex program, and it probably wouldn’t be worth the trouble learning it just for this.
I hope this is helpful.
If you use MS-Word, you can select your page size, landscape orientation, two-column format with the margins arranged according and as commasense indicated; putting the eighth-page content first, then the first page, with pages two and seven on the reverse side and so on.
:smack: I don’t know why I was bothering with all that adobe stuff when I have access to the raw word files. Bryan Ekers is really onto something. I can’t use the photocopier method because there is color in the booklet and we lack a color copier, well I’m working from home so for all intents and purposes…I’m going to get back to playing with Word but I think that may well be my solution!!!
Heck, just send the content to me and I’ll do it. 'T’ain’t hard.
Microsoft Publisher has a setting to automatically back pages. It’s in the print setup.