Half pages front and back using Pages?

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Level 2

224 points

Half pages front and back using Pages?

I've been using Appleworks since it was Clarisworks. I use a template that allows me print out pages that instead of being 8x11 are 4x5.5 and it allows 2 half size pages front and back to be printed for each 8x11 sheet of paper. In AppleWorks I used a drawing document to lay out pages turned on their side so each piece of paper allows me to print 2 half size pages on both front and back. In order to have these pages print out properly I used flow through text layout blocks laid out in such a manner so on document pages 1-10, I had 20 odd pages (2 half size pages per piece of paper). Then on 11-20, I had 20 even pages. What this did was allow me to print document pages 1-10, flip the pages and then print document pages 11-20. The end result is that I'd have printing on both the front and back sides of the half size pages. Hopefully I've described this clearly enough.

Can this be done with Pages?
Thanks!

1.8 dual G5, Mac OS X (10.4.9), +15" Powerbook 1.67Ghz

Posted on Sep 12, 2007 8:56 AM

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Answer 1

Peggy

Level 8

41,865 points

Sep 12, 2007 8:29 PM in response to Dave Peck

This can be done in the page layout mode of Pages 3. I have a template that makes a 16-page booklet you can download from my iDisk. The file is named 16-page layout.template. There is a 20-page booklet template there, too, but it's an AppleWorks one.

One thing I've sent feedback to the Pages team about is to be able to open AppleWorks draw documents in Pages' page layout mode.

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Answer 2

Sep 14, 2007 11:32 PM in response to Dave Peck

You might want to check out this PDF workflow that adds another choice to the "PDF" button in a print dialog.

Its designed to work with double sided printers (you can print every other and then flip and reload if you want). It handles all the reordering so that it can be folded into a booklet right off the printer.

http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/automator/createbookletpdfservice.html

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Answer 3

Dave Peck Author

Level 2

224 points

Sep 13, 2007 5:51 AM in response to Peggy

I'll download this and check it out while I'm doing my iWork trial. In the layout mode are you laying out something that equates to text flow-through boxes? I want to be sure that I can print out 2 pages (4 sides) per regular sheet of paper. Could you also confirm if Pages supports an outline style? How much control do you have over outline styles as far as layout?
Thanks Peggy!

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Answer 4

Peggy

Level 8

41,865 points

Sep 13, 2007 1:45 PM in response to Dave Peck

Yes, they are linked text boxes. Pages 3 can even show lines showing which box links to another.

Because a lot of the booklets I create for my church have a varying number of pages, I use Cocoa Booklet to create a booklet with any number of pages (best in a multiple of 4). Start with your Pages document in Legal size & larger than normal font size. Export the Pages document to a PDF & then drag the PDF to the icon of Cocoa Booklet. It will create a new PDF in booklet form.

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Answer 5

Dave Peck Author

Level 2

224 points

Sep 15, 2007 7:54 AM in response to Peggy

Peggy,
I tried to download the 16 page document from your iDisk. The zip archive will not open for me. I don't know if this has anything to do with it but all the other files on your iDisk show sizes. This particular file does not show a size. If you would consider sending me a copy of this template, please send to huntn@charter.net. Thanks!

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Answer 6

Dave Peck Author

Level 2

224 points

Sep 15, 2007 8:00 AM in response to Preston Holmes

Preston,
Thanks. I do have a 2 sided printer. When I was working in AppleWorks I found that is was easier to work with a document in a regular word processing format, one page following the other as I scroll down. But because I wanted pages printed out, two half pages on the front of a sheet of paper and two half pages on the back, when I wanted to print it, I exported it to a "print file", a file with the pages laid out as I previously described. Then I would print out the odd, flip and then the even pages. If I could avoid the export step that would be great.
Thanks!

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Answer 7

Dave Peck Author

Level 2

224 points

Sep 15, 2007 8:04 AM in response to Peggy

I don't have the full version of Adobe Acrobat. When producing a booklet, do you start with a plain Pages document, then convert it into a PDF, then use CocoaBooklet to convert to print it as a booklet?
Thanks!

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Answer 8

Dave Peck Author

Level 2

224 points

Sep 15, 2007 8:31 AM in response to Peggy

Sorry for the double replies...
Does the CocoaBooklet maker require that pages be prefomatted into the smaller size (4x5.5"), or does it reformat for you? This would concern me as I want to be able to control the layout of the final product.

And for Pages, does it support outline styles?
Thanks!

Message was edited by: Dave Peck

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Answer 9

Peggy

Level 8

41,865 points

Sep 15, 2007 9:38 AM in response to Dave Peck

I'll answer both posts in this one.

I'm not sure what was wrong with the 16-page template on my iDisk. For me, in the Finder it showed a size of 57 KB, but the one in my templates folder was 64 KB. I have replaced the iDisk one.

I've never used the full version of Acrobat & I'm not sure what is has to do with this.

The great thing about Cocoa Booklet is that you don't have to format the Pages document, although you can, it does it all for you. I like Cocoa Booklet because what I see on a Pages page is what I see on half the booklet page. You can play around with the preference settings in Cocoa Booklet. Since it's all PDFs, you can fiddle as much as you want & not waste paper, just keep created new booklet-PDFs.

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Answer 10

Dave Peck Author

Level 2

224 points

Sep 20, 2007 6:18 AM in response to Peggy

I went to your iDisk this morning and downloaded it (the 16 page document) again. When I try to expand it, I get a message "an error occurred during the Stuffit operation". I also notice that of the list of files shown on your iDisk this file is the only one that does not include a size. Instead it shows --. I know my Stuffit Expander works ok, as I also used it today on several Stuffit documents. I'd really like to look at your document. I wonder if you could possibly email it to me? If so, please send to: huntn@charter.net.

Regarding my comment about the full version of Acrobat I have a layout concern regarding CocoaBook. I was not sure if you needed to manipulate a pdf with the full version of Acrobat after using CocoaBook. I'm wondering if using it to create a pamplet, is the layout changed to accommodate the new size? In other words where you used to a 8x11 formatted document, when converting it to a PDF in pamplet size, where a Topic used to be at the top of a page, now it could be anywhere on the page (if you see what I'm saying) hence the need to manipulate the finished PDF with the full version of Acrobat?

Thanks!

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Answer 11

Peggy

Level 8

41,865 points

Sep 20, 2007 11:16 AM in response to Dave Peck

Now I understand what the problem is. Pages documents & templates are packages, special folders, & that template is seen as a folder. I have now put it on my iDisk as a .zip archive so it should work. If it still doesn't, send me an e-mail & I'll send you the template. Click my name in blue next to this post. My public e-mail address is in the biography section. Just replace (AT) with @.

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Answer 12

Dave Peck Author

Level 2

224 points

Sep 20, 2007 2:07 PM in response to Peggy

Peggy,
Thanks for all the help! Initially I did have problems getting your document to open, then on a hunch I decided to upgrade my Stuffit Expander from v10 to v11. That did it! 🙂 And it looks like printing two sided half pages is easy as easy as it was on AWs. Usually when I dealing with a document, I work with it in a simple Word Processor file because it's easier to scroll through pages and keep track of where you are at. When I'm done with it, I transfer it to the print template and check its formatting, like where paragraphs and titles start in relationship to the page. I appreciate the assistance. Thanks again. 😀

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