Saddle-stitch imposition
20-page booklet page order
A 20-page booklet uses 5 sheets, each printed with two pages per side, nested and stapled through the fold.
5sheets
20pages
10page pairs
Printer spreads
| Sheet (outside first) | Front: left | right | Back: left | right |
|---|---|---|
| Sheet 1 | 20 | 1 | 2 | 19 |
| Sheet 2 | 18 | 3 | 4 | 17 |
| Sheet 3 | 16 | 5 | 6 | 15 |
| Sheet 4 | 14 | 7 | 8 | 13 |
| Sheet 5 | 12 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
Each pair adds up to 21. Print front and back duplex, flipping on the short edge for most desktop printers.
Nested sheets
Creep and trimming
With 5 nested sheets the inner pages stick out at the fore-edge by roughly the combined thickness of the outer sheets. Professional imposition shifts inner pages toward the spine (creep compensation) and trims the fore-edge flush. Keep text at least 6 mm from the outside edge.
Need a different count? The booklet imposition calculator works for any page count and adds blanks as needed.