Creating Booklet Template

Did you ever resolve the problem of creating a booklet with a5 sized pages etc. I used to use Publisher and have quite a few documents that I need to print written in Publisher.

We may fit the needs at least thru two paths.

(a) build two standard pages then ask the printer to print two pages on a single sheet. As far as I know this feature is available in every printer driver.
For you exact problem, print in a PDF/X using this setting then use the PDF to print the definitive documents.

(b) Use File > Page Setup" to select the Landscape orientation
then
Inspector > Layout > Layout > Columns : 2

Your text will flow from column 1 to column 2.

Yvan KOENIG (from FRANCE jeudi 2 octobre 2008 15:08:10)

Welcome to Apple Discussions Norm

There are a few ways to do this. The first two involve setting your Pages document in File > Page Setup… to landscape orientation. I originally wrote this for Pages 2. In Pages 3, use the page layout mode for #s 1a & 1b.

1a - Use linked text boxes. This is easier done with the layout showing. First you need to add a page break to have two pages. Click in the body area & then Insert > Page Break. Now click outside the layout area to enter object mode & click the "T" in the tool bar or Insert > Text to create a text box & type something in it. This is to keep the box from disappearing if you click elsewhere & the text can be replaced later. If you already have some text to paste in you can just paste while in object mode & a text box containing your text will be created. You will now need to click outside the layout again & drag the cursor toward the text box to select it. You can now position the first text box in the lower right of your 2-page document. It is easier to see where it goes if you have the document set up with 2 columns. Click on the blue-outlined tab at the lower right of the text box to create a new of the same size & move the box to the upper left. Repeat for a box for the upper right & again for the lower right. You will now have 4 linked text boxes.

1b - Start as in 1a creating a 2-page document with 2 columns in landscape orientation. For this one you will use the body text area. Just type or paste your text in as normal, starting in the upper left. When you have your text done, cut all of the text in the first column (upper left), insert a column break after the last character on the now lower left column & paste the cut text after it in the now lower right column.

Neither one of these will let you automatically use page numbers because Pages "sees" each page & you actually have 2 pages per page.

2 - Use Cocoa Booklet to create a booklet with any number of pages (best in a multiple of 4). Start with your Pages document in A4 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.

I don't know if this helps but I found this and it works great with the PDF maker in your Apple Print menu.
http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/automator/createbookletpdfservice.html

Firstly, I suspect you are talking about US letter size paper. This is not "standard sized paper". It is only used in 2 countries in the entire world, the USA and Canada, despite Canada being otherwise metric.

Secondly you have 2 problems doing what you ask. Pages does not let you span "spreads" ie facing pages and you also need a method to impose the stapled booklet you are creating, something else Pages does not directly support.

To make text and pictures span 2 pages see where I have given detailed instructions to a recent earlier post.

To form your booklet up in the correct page order for printing you will need to do some nifty assemblage on a set of specially composed 2 page layouts or use 3rd party software to do it with exported pdfs. The process of assembling the pages in print order is called imposition. Look for software with this key word at http://www.macupdate.com.au or http://www.versiontracker.com.au

To make your own custom imposition you will need to lay out the pages in an imposed order, as below.

You did not say how many pages you wanted to put together in your booklet.
They are always in sets of 4 because there are always 2 facing you and 2 facing away on each sheet.

*For a set of 4 pages the order of pages is:*
1st sheet Front L4/R1 Back L2/R3

*For a set of 8 pages the order of pages is:*
1st sheet Front L8/R1 Back L2/R7
2nd sheet Front L6/R3 Back L4/R5.

*For a set of 12 pages the order of pages is:*
1st sheet Front L12/R1 Back L2/R11
2nd sheet Front L10/R3 Back L4/R9.
3rd sheet Front L8/R5 Back L6/R7.

*For a set of 16 pages the order of pages is:*
1st sheet Front L16/R1 Back L2/R15
2nd sheet Front L14/R3 Back L4/R13.
3rd sheet Front L12/R5 Back L6/R11.
4th sheet Front L10/R7 Back L8/R9.

*The pattern is always:* the sum of the two facing pages = all pages + 1.
On the front of each sheet you deduct 2 on the left & add 2 on the right, On the back you add 2 on the left & deduct 2 on the right.

Easier is to make up a "dummy" by folding up a piece of paper to form a little booklet, number the pages, tear up the folds then lay the pages out in order. Don't try to make up a booklet with more pages than will staple or fold easily.

This only applies if you are going to try and do this yourself. A commercial printer will handle all the details for you and do it more accurately than you can.

With Cacao Booklet application ( which put a plug-in in the printing service )
First open CacaoBooklet from your applications folder and set the preferences you want in the Options menu.

1. There is a simple way. With your usual word processing program - Pages- use your normal page setting for texte ( I use US Letter format).
2. Now type your text with a 18 point font*.
3. When you are finished with the text go to Print. Once there, look for PDF in the botton left corner and there choose Make a Booklet or something like that (mine is in French and goes like Créer un livret. Choose the destination- if not set in the Cacao preferences - and save.
4. Open this new file and print it using even and odd way.

*I use this font because a full page is reduced to a half page at the printing. The normal 12 point is to small once the page is reduced in the booklet. Make tries to choose the size you want.

Message was edited by: BenwaR

Message was edited by: BenwaR

I've just tried CREATE BOOKLET. Very easy too.
http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/automator/createbookletpdfservice.html
Once installed, CreateBooklet places a plug-in in the print service.

1. I use Pages'08 and set the page format for US Legal (8,5 x 14)
2. I use 17 or 18 point fontes
3. Once the texte completed, choose Print in the File menu.
4. Choose PDF in the bottom left corner. This will open you document in Preview in a booklet format
5. Print it using the even and odd method.
6. You can save it too.
7. dont forget to save you text in Pages too.

Message was edited by: BenwaR

In case anyone is still following this thread, here is a great little utility that works flawlessly for me ... I create an A4 doc then print to CreateBooklet in the pdf menu.

It does not solve the problem of the original poster - I too used to use Publisher with layouts spread across two pages. Simply using print two pages to one does not work because I always used to have the middle spread run continuously across the middle page with images etc. Pages just can't do that, so I just don't create that anymore.

Deborah

Actually I just managed to get a fairly good result by using the Metrics Inspector to exactly place to identical images on the two consecutive pages that would become the centre fold. Using the Create Booklet utility gives a very good result - albeit with the finest of white lines down the middle - however, as I usually have a table across the page, and it is the fold line anyway, it is more than acceptable.

Just in case anyone is interested!!

Deborah