Arranging pages correctly is a crucial step when getting your book ready for printing. It may seem complicated at first, but once you understand the basics, it’s not too difficult.
In this comprehensive guide, Gobook Printing will walk you through everything you need to know about arranging pages for book printing. By the end, you’ll be able to set up your book’s pages properly so your final printed book looks professional.
Why Page Order for Book Printing Matters
When you print a book, the printer doesn’t simply print all the pages in order. Instead, they print multiple pages on large sheets of paper.
These large sheets then get folded, bound together, and trimmed into book format.
That’s why you need to arrange your pages in a special order—called imposition—so that when the sheets get folded and bound, the pages end up in the correct sequence.
If you don’t set up the pages properly before printing, the pages could end up out of order or upside down. Then you’d have a confusing, unreadable book.
To avoid this, it’s essential to understand imposition and set up your pages accordingly.
Common Binding Types
Before arranging your pages, you need to decide which binding type you’ll use. The binding determines exactly how you’ll need to set up the pages.
Here are three of the most popular binding types and what you need to know about page arrangements for each.
1. Saddle Stitch Binding
Saddle stitch binding uses staples through the crease of folded pages. Common for books and booklets up to about 100 pages.
- Pages must total a multiple of 4
- Arrange as printer spreads, not reader spreads
- Cover is often separate
2. Perfect Binding
Perfect binding glues pages together at the spine. Used for thicker books that lay flat when open.
- No page count rules
- Reader spreads OK
- Cover usually part of same file
3. Spiral Binding
Spiral (or coil) binding runs a wire spiral through punched holes to bind pages. Allows pages to lay flat.
- Pages should total a multiple of 2
- Reader spreads usually OK
- Cover often separate
Imposition Basics
Once you know your binding type, it’s time to impose your pages.
Imposition refers to the layout of pages on the printer’s sheet. Remember, multiple pages print on each side of a sheet.
The most common impositions are:
- Printer spreads
- Reader spreads
Let’s look at both.
Printer Spreads
With printer spreads, you arrange pages in the order they’ll print on a sheet.
For example, pages 1 and 16 would print beside each other since they’ll end up on the same sheet.
Printer spreads ensure pages end up correctly after printing, folding and binding. It’s the method most often used with saddle stitch binding.
Downside is pages appear out of order which can get confusing.
Reader Spreads
Reader spreads keep your page order intact, with page 1 and 2 side-by-side, then pages 3 and 4, etc. This preserves the correct reading order.
However, some binding types need printer spreads to ensure the pages sequence properly after binding.
Talk to your printer about whether they prefer printer or reader spreads. Many will specify printer spreads.
A Real-Life Example
Let’s see imposition in action with a 16-page booklet printed with saddle stitch binding:
- We output our page design as a PDF set to reader spreads since it’s easier to work with. Our page count is divisible by 4 as required by saddle stitch binding.
- Now we need to impose the pages as printer spreads required for saddle stitch binding. To help, we can use page imposition software like Imposium Press.
- In Imposium Press, we select saddle stitch binding then choose our paper size, 2-up imposition, page count, etc. We drag in our PDF document.
- The software automatically converts our PDF into proper printer spreads, with pages appearing out of order. No need to manually rearrange anything.
- We export the imposed PDF and send it to the printer. We also let them know we need saddle stitch binding.
The printer prints, folds, binds and trims the sheets, resulting in a professionally bound booklet with all 16 pages in perfect order.
Now you can keep the print chaos at bay and focus on creating your book’s content, trusting that your pages will print beautifully in the end.
I hope this guide gives you confidence for preparing print-ready files for your next book project. Reach out in the comments if you have any other questions!