Showcase and discover digital art at yex

Follow Design Stacks

Subscribe to our free newsletter to get all our latest tutorials and articles delivered directly to your inbox!

Working with Plug-Ins – Using the Build Booklet Plug-In

Using the Build Booklet Plug-In

The Build Booklet plug-in lets you create publications in which pages are arranged for printing multi-page spreads (e.g., a book). The arrangement of pages printed on a single sheet or form is called an imposition. The Build Booklet plug-in creates multiple page spreads that print on a single sheet and assume the correct page order when folded. When you stack, bind, and trim the folded double-sided booklets, the result is a single book with correct pagination.

Running Build Booklet should be the final step before printing your publication. Build Booklet closes the current publication and creates a new, untitled publication with the page size equal to the size of the imposition. Build Booklet then calculates the proper page sequence and transfers the master and publication page items from the original publication to the correct pages in the new publication. Build Booklet can rearrange pages in the active publication or for all publications in a book list.

return to topAccessing the Build Booklet Dialog Box

  1. Create the publication
    HINT: In the document setup, a paper size of Letter Half or Legal Half would be an appropriate choice.

  2. Save the publication

  3. From the Utilities menu, select Plug-ins ยป Build Booklet…
    The Build Booklet dialog box will appear.
    Build Booklet dialog box

return to topSelecting a Layout

Review the following table to learn about layout options:

Layout Option

Description

*2-up saddle stitch This option is for standard booklet printing. Double-sided pages are folded once and fastened along the fold (i.e., first page prints on the same page as the last page, the second page on the same sheet as the second-to-last page). When the pages are printed front to back and folded, they are in correct sequence.
*2-up perfect bound This option creates a series of folded booklets which are bound in a group with adhesive along the spine. With this option, you select the number of pages per booklet (4, 8, or 16), and PageMaker calculates how many booklets are needed for the publication.
2-up consecutive This option combines each set of 2 pages side-by-side on a single page. This option is appropriate for creating a 2 panel brochure.
3-up consecutive This option combines each set of 3 pages side-by-side on a single page. This option is appropriate for creating a 3 panel brochure.
4-up consecutive This option combines each set of 4 pages side-by-side on a single page. This option is appropriate for creating a 4 panel brochure.
None This option creates a new publication, but does not rearrange the pages or change the spread size. You can manually adjust the page arrangement, increase the page size, or insert blank pages.
*2-up saddle stitch and 2-up perfect bound are most common
  1. Access the Build Booklet dialog box

  2. From the Layout pull-down listing, select the desired choice
    HINT: For publications with more than 80 pages, it’s best to use the 2-up perfect bound option rather than 2-up saddle stitch option, since folding more than 20 separate sheets of paper creates layout problems.

  3. OPTIONAL: If your layout selection is 2-up perfect bound, you may adjust Pages Per Group by choosing a number from the pull-down listing

  4. OPTIONAL: Continue with Adjusting Spread Size, Adding, Deleting, or Revising Blank Pages, Additional Options, or Using Total Creep

  5. Run Build Booklet

return to top Adjusting Spread Size

When you choose an imposition layout (and later if you specify a gutter size), Build Booklet automatically calculates the spread size and displays it in the Spread Size text box. You can adjust these measurements to provide room for printer’s marks.

A warning appears in the Messages section if the current spread size is not large enough for the publication or if it exceeds the maximum page size.

  1. Access the Build Booklet dialog box

  2. In the Spread Size text boxes, type the desired dimensions

  3. OPTIONAL: Continue with Adding, Deleting, or Revising Blank Pages, Additional Options, or Using Total Creep

  4. Run Build Booklet

return to topAdding, Deleting, or Revising Blank Pages

The message area of the Build Booklet dialog box indicates the number of pages you need to add (if any) to meet the correct page count for the specified layout. If the layout option you have chosen requires blank pages and you do not add them, Build Booklet inserts the needed blank pages at the end of the publication.

To add blank pages:

  1. Access the Build Booklet dialog box

  2. Place the arrow next to the page listing where you want the blank page to appear

  3. Click BLANK PAGE
    A blank page is placed and the Messages section will adjust information on how many blank pages are still needed to complete your selected layout.

  4. OPTIONAL: Continue with Additional Options or Using Total Creep

  5. Run Build Booklet

To delete blank pages:

  1. Access the Build Booklet dialog box

  2. Select the page you want to delete

  3. Click DELETE
    The blank page is removed.

  4. OPTIONAL: Continue with Additional Options or Using Total Creep

  5. Run Build Booklet

To revise the order of blank pages:

  1. Access the Build Booklet dialog box

  2. To move a page:
    1. Select the page you want to move
    2. Windows: Press and hold [Alt]
      Macintosh: Press and hold [Option
    3. Drag the page to its new location
    4. Windows: Release [Alt]
      Macintosh: Release [Option]

  3. To reverse the order of pages, click INVERT PAGES
    NOTE: All pages are inverted with this option.

  4. OPTIONAL: Continue with Additional Options or Using Total Creep

  5. Run Build Booklet

To return to the original publication copy (in case of any unwanted changes):

  1. Click REVERT

  2. OPTIONAL: Continue with Additional Options or Using Total Creep

  3. Run Build Booklet

return to topAdditional Options

Some additional options may not always be available because the layout selection you choose may affect which options are available.

  1. Access the Build Booklet dialog box

  2. To add space between pages, in the Gutter space text box, type a value
    When you type a value for Gutter space, the Spread size values automatically adjust.

  3. To place non-printing ruler guides in the publication, select Place Guides in Gutter

  4. OPTIONAL: Continue with Using Total Creep

  5. Run Build Booklet

return to topUsing the Total Creep

To adjust the placement of page items to account for paper thickness, use the following instructions:

  1. Access the Build Booklet dialog box

  2. Select Use Creep
    NOTE: To determine the value for creep, consult your commercial printer

  3. In the Total creep text box, type a value
    This does not change the Spread size.

  4. Run Build Booklet

return to top Running Build Booklet

  1. In the Build Booklet dialog box, click OK
    An informational message will appear asking if you would like to save your current publication before it is closed and the booklet publication opened.

  2. Windows: Click OK
    Macintosh: Click SAVE
    After processing the document, an untitled document will appear that has your document in book format.

After the new publication is created, you can manually edit the publication. For example, you can delete page numbers from blank pages. The master pages of the new publication, however, are blank; all master page information has been copied to each page of the new publication.

Comments