How to Print an A5 Booklet
A compact, foldable songbook you can take anywhere. Print on A4, fold in half, staple — done.
What Is a Booklet?
A simple, compact format for small songbooks.
A booklet is an A5 (half of A4) book made by printing two pages side-by-side on each A4 sheet, then folding the stack in half and stapling along the fold. The result is a compact book about the size of a notebook.
Important: MakeMySongBook's Booklet format handles ALL the page reordering automatically. The pages in the generated PDF are already in the correct "imposition" order. You just print the PDF as-is — do NOT turn on your printer's booklet mode, or the pages will be shuffled twice and come out wrong.
Booklet Sizes
Choose between compact pocket size or full-size pages.
A5 Booklet (Compact)
The classic pocket booklet. Pages are scaled to half the paper size. Great for quick reference on stage or around the campfire.
Best for: home printing
A4 Booklet (Full-Size)
Full-size sheet music pages in booklet format. No scaling needed — your music stays the same size as the original. Ideal for detailed notation.
Best for: print shops
Half-Letter Booklet (Compact)
The US standard compact booklet. Folds a Letter sheet in half for a portable, easy-to-handle music book.
Best for: home printing (US)
Letter Booklet (Full-Size)
Full-size Letter pages in booklet format. Uses Tabloid (11 × 17 in) paper. Perfect for keeping music at its original readable size.
Best for: print shops (US)
How the Tool Arranges Pages
Understanding booklet imposition in simple terms.
In a regular book, pages go 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6... In a booklet, pages are rearranged so they end up in the right order after folding.
For example, an 8-page booklet on 2 sheets:
- Sheet 1 front has pages 8 + 1
- Sheet 1 back has pages 2 + 7
- Sheet 2 front has pages 6 + 3
- Sheet 2 back has pages 4 + 5
When you fold and nest the sheets, the pages read 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 in order. MakeMySongBook does this math for you. The PDF is ready to print.
Note: The tool automatically pads to a multiple of 4 pages (required for booklet folding). Any extra pages become blanks at the end.
Step-by-Step Printing
Follow these steps for perfect booklet printing.
- 1
In MakeMySongBook, select Print → Booklet format
- 2
Choose your page size (A4 or Letter)
This is the sheet you'll print on. The final book will be half that size.
- 3
Generate your PDF
- 4
Open the PDF in any viewer
Adobe Reader, Preview, Chrome — any PDF viewer works.
- 5
Go to File → Print
- 6
Set paper size to A4 (or Letter)
- 7
Orientation: Landscape
Some viewers handle this automatically.
- 8
Enable "Print on both sides" with "Flip on short edge"
NOT long edge!
- 9
Set scaling to "Fit to printable area"
- 10
IMPORTANT: Do NOT enable your printer's "Booklet" mode
The pages are already arranged. Enabling booklet mode will shuffle them twice and break the order.
- 11
Print all pages
Fold, Staple, Done
Finishing your booklet in a few simple steps.
- •Take the printed stack
- •Fold all sheets in half together (don't fold individually)
- •Crease firmly with a bone folder or the back of a spoon for a clean fold
- •Staple along the spine (the fold) with a long-arm stapler — regular staplers can't reach the center
- •If no long-arm stapler: open the stapler flat, push staples through from outside, then bend the legs manually on the inside with a ruler
- •Trim edges if they're uneven (a paper cutter helps but isn't required)
Tip: Booklet binding works best for under 40-50 pages (10-12 sheets). For thicker books, use the Full Book format with another binding method.
When NOT to Use Booklet Format
Some situations where other formats work better.
More than ~50 pages
The fold gets too thick, pages fan out
Need to lay completely flat
Spiral or comb binding is better
Want to add or remove pages later
Use ring binder instead
Printing single-sided only
Booklet format requires double-sided printing
Tools You'll Need
The basics for booklet making.
A printer with duplex capability
Required for double-sided printing
A4 or Letter paper
100gsm recommended for a sturdy booklet
A long-arm stapler
Or flat-open regular stapler as a hack
A bone folder or ruler
For creasing (optional but makes it much neater)
Next Steps
Where to go from here.