Imposition: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 12:53, 7 January 2026

An example of an imposition of a PDF, in this case to print a PDF in a booklet format. Screenshot from https://pdfcpu.io/generate/booklet.

There are many ways to do imposition!

Imposition tools

Manual way: CTRL+P, write the order of printing in the field "Pages"
pdfjam (CLI, for Linux/Mac, requires Tex Live) also packages as part of Tex Live
for Debian: $ sudo apt install texlive-extra-utils
for Mac: $ brew install --cask mactex
- pdfbook (CLI, wrapper around pdfjam to make booklets)
- pdfxup (CLI, wrapper around pdfjam to do more complex impositioning)
PDFsam (GUI, for Linux/Mac/Windows)
psutils (CLI, for Linux/Mac/Windows, Python based)
podofo + documentation from 75 (CLI)
psutil (Python)
BookletImposer (GUI)
jPDF Tweak (GUI)
pdfcpu (CLI)
Imagemagick (CLI; using montage, convert)
https://zine-machine.glitch.me/

Examples, scripts & boilerplates

Iffybooks zine on pdfbook2
Example of an impositioned PDF for booklet printing: File:Wiki-wiki-book.pdf
make_booklet.sh, by Yann Trividic
Bookletor, by Quentin Juhel
Paged.js imposition "extension", by Quentin Juhel and Julien Taquet; see also this live example made by Julien Bidoret
Imposition howto's during SI5 (using Imagemagick)
How to make a booklet with psutils (at Scribus wiki)
Scribus wiki: How to make impositions with pstops
Making booklets from PDF files using psbook and psnup
Two A4 on one A3 using pdfjam

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
-[[File:Screenshot from 2023-10-03 14-35-08.png|thumb|An example of an imposition of a PDF, screenshot from https://pdfcpu.io/generate/booklet.]]
+[[File:Screenshot from 2023-10-03 14-35-08.png|thumb|An example of an imposition of a PDF, in this case to print a PDF in a booklet format. Screenshot from https://pdfcpu.io/generate/booklet.]]
 There are many ways to do imposition!
@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 * Manual way: CTRL+P, write the order of printing in the field "Pages"
+* [https://github.com/pdfjam pdfjam] (CLI, for Linux/Mac, requires Tex Live) also packages as part of Tex Live<br>for Debian: <code>$ sudo apt install [https://manpages.debian.org/bookworm/texlive-extra-utils/ texlive-extra-utils]</code><br>for Mac: <code>$ brew install --cask mactex</code>
+** [https://manpages.debian.org/bookworm/texlive-extra-utils/pdfbook2.1.en.html pdfbook] (CLI, wrapper around pdfjam to make booklets)
+** [https://manpages.debian.org/bookworm/texlive-extra-utils/pdfxup.1.en.html pdfxup] (CLI, wrapper around pdfjam to do more complex impositioning)
+* [https://pdfsam.org/ PDFsam] (GUI, for Linux/Mac/Windows)
+* [https://pypi.org/project/psutils/ psutils] (CLI, for Linux/Mac/Windows, Python based)
+* [https://github.com/podofo/podofo podofo] + [http://printlab.leseptantecinq.be/logiciels/podofo_impose/ documentation from 75] (CLI)
 * [https://psutil.readthedocs.io/en/latest/ psutil] (Python)
-* [https://manpages.debian.org/bookworm/texlive-extra-utils/pdfbook2.1.en.html pdfbook2] (CLI, part of the [https://manpages.debian.org/bookworm/texlive-extra-utils/ texlive-extra-utils] in Debian)
-* [https://manpages.debian.org/bookworm/texlive-extra-utils/pdfjam.1.en.html pdfjam] (CLI, part of the [https://manpages.debian.org/bookworm/texlive-extra-utils/ texlive-extra-utils] in Debian)
-* [https://manpages.debian.org/bookworm/texlive-extra-utils/pdfxup.1.en.html pdfxup] (CLI, part of the [https://manpages.debian.org/bookworm/texlive-extra-utils/ texlive-extra-utils] in Debian)
-* [https://github.com/podofo/podofo podofo] + [http://printlab.leseptantecinq.be/logiciels/podofo_impose/ documentation from 75] (CLI)
 * [http://kjo.herbesfolles.org/bookletimposer/ BookletImposer] (GUI)
 * [http://jpdftweak.sourceforge.net/ jPDF Tweak] (GUI)
 * [https://pdfcpu.io/generate/booklet pdfcpu] (CLI)
 * [[Imagemagick]] (CLI; using montage, convert)
+* https://zine-machine.glitch.me/
-==Examples & boilerplates==
+==Examples, scripts & boilerplates==
+* [https://iffybooks.net/wp-content/uploads/zines/Iffy_Books_pdfbook2_screen.pdf Iffybooks zine on pdfbook2]
 * Example of an impositioned PDF for booklet printing: [[:File:Wiki-wiki-book.pdf]]
 * [https://gitlab.com/yanntrividic/the-moral-of-the-xerox-vf/-/blob/main/make_booklet.sh make_booklet.sh], by Yann Trividic
+* [https://gitlab.com/quentinjuhel/Bookletor Bookletor], by Quentin Juhel
 * [https://gitlab.coko.foundation/pagedjs/hackathon-mars-2021/-/tree/master/imposition_quentin_juhel?ref_type=heads Paged.js imposition "extension"], by Quentin Juhel and Julien Taquet; see also this [https://maisondeseditions.fr/ideal/tools/aquatre/ live example] made by Julien Bidoret
 * [[Imposition howto's during SI5]] (using Imagemagick)
@@ Line 28: / Line 33: @@
 * [https://wiki.scribus.net/canvas/How_to_make_impositions_with_pstops Scribus wiki: How to make impositions with pstops]
 * [http://www.peppertop.com/blog/?p=35 Making booklets from PDF files using psbook and psnup]
+* [https://cc.vvvvvvaria.org/wiki/Two-a4-on-one-a3.sh Two A4 on one A3 using pdfjam]
+==More imposition related links!==
+* http://zineopolis.blogspot.com/p/h.html
+* https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Zine_Making/Putting_pages_together
+==See also==
+* [[Portable Document Format]]
+* [[:Category:PagedMedia]]
-[[Category:XPUB]]
-[[Category:Special Issue]]
 [[Category:Cookbook]]
 [[Category:PagedMedia]]
+[[Category:FLOSS design]]