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I do the math on how many pages I want each signature to be (typically 32 pages on 8 leaves, i.e. Four printed pages on one doublesided sheet of paper) and then save each signature as a PDF (pages 1-32, 33-64, etc). I then open each PDF in Adobe Reader and go to File - Print, and use the Booklet option. That handles the imposition for you.
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When creating a document in Microsoft Word for print binding, you must allow for added margin space in the area of the page that falls within the spine of the finished product. Word calls this area the gutter and allows you to customize the size based on your binding needs. Word also offers options for binding with facing, double-printed pages and center-folded, booklet-style printing where you have two pages per sheet of paper.
Margins and Page Orientation
To prepare a Word document for binding, you must adjust the document margins to the printer's specifications. The printing company will tell you what values you need for the top, bottom, left and right margins on the pages. Word accepts decimal values in inches, centimeters and millimeters and whole-number values in points and picas. You enter these settings in the margins dialog box, accessible through the 'Margins' command on the 'Page Layout' tab. On this Margins screen you can also choose the paper orientation for your bound document, either tall or wide. The options are labeled 'Portrait' and 'Landscape,' respectively.
Gutter Size and Position
Before you close the Margins dialog box, you must also enter a value for the gutter. The size of the gutter depends on the size and type of binding your document will receive. Your printing service will provide you with this crucial margin setting so the document prints correctly. Too much gutter results in extra white space near the binding. Too little gutter may cause text to run into the binding or become cut off. Next to the gutter measurement, a drop-down menu allows you to set the gutter position, either along the top of the page or the left side.
Mirror-Margins Format
Next you must set what type of binding the document will receive. In the 'Pages' section of the Margins dialog box Word offers you a few choices. 'Normal' indicates one-sided printing with the binding at the top or the left as determined by your gutter settings. If you plan for the final product to look more like a book, with double-sided pages bound on the left, choose the 'Mirror Margins' option. This ensures that the margins for facing pages remain equal and the gutter adjusts automatically to the left or right side of a page for even and odd pages.
Book-Fold Format
If your final printed product will have two pages per sheet of paper, folded in half with a binding at the center, choose the 'Book Fold' option in the 'Pages' section. This setting automatically checks that your page orientation is set to 'Landscape,' to accommodate two-page printing, and places the gutter between the pages, at the center of the paper. If you aren't sure how a particular format option affects your printed document, a thumbnail image at the bottom of the Margins dialog box in the 'Preview' section gives you a quick snapshot as you change settings in this window.
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About the Author
Katelyn Kelley worked in information technology as a computing and communications consultant and web manager for 15 years before becoming a freelance writer in 2003. She specializes in instructional and technical writing in the areas of computers, gaming and crafts. Kelley holds a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics and computer science from Boston College.
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Kelley, Katelyn. 'How to Format a Microsoft Word Document for Binding.' Small Business - Chron.com, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/format-microsoft-word-document-binding-44419.html. Accessed 24 June 2019.
Kelley, Katelyn. (n.d.). How to Format a Microsoft Word Document for Binding. Small Business - Chron.com. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/format-microsoft-word-document-binding-44419.html
Kelley, Katelyn. 'How to Format a Microsoft Word Document for Binding' accessed June 24, 2019. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/format-microsoft-word-document-binding-44419.html
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Posted by4 years ago
Archived
I've got a text document that I want to print for binding, but I'd like to avoid having to arrange the pages manually. I found and tried a program called bookbinder but it just tells me it's generating the pdf and never finishes.
I cant find any built-in feature in either google docs or adobe reader to arrange the pages for me, and my printer doesn't support it.
Edit:http://www.pdfsam.org/ doesn't do it automatically, but provides a visual environment that makes it easier.
Here (google docs) is the finished product - in 4 page sigs - for those interested - Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. I formatted a raw .txt from project gutenberg so there may be a few minor errors. Just check the 'multiple pages per sheet' box wherever it may be for your printer.
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