[Solved] Print A6-sized bookets on A4 paper, 4 per page

[Jasper77]

I am using Open Office 4 writer and have been printing A5-sized booklets on A4 paper by exporting to PDF and then printing with Acrobat Reader. Is there any way I can reduce the size of the booklet further, using A4 size paper, so that it produces a booklet approximately 5 inches by three inches, or half the size of A5?

[RoryOF]

Half the size of A5 is correctly A6. If your printer can feed A5 paper, then one can (using the same methods) print A6 booklets, substituting A5 for A4, and A6 for A5 in your previous method.

If you wish, which I suspect, to print an A6 booket using A4 paper, so you have effectively 4 x A6 pages printed on an A4 sheet, this requires more complex software to get the page layout (technically: imposition) correct. If you do not require your pages to be imposed in the correct order for folding, you can easily do this using OpenOffice Writer /File /Print: go to the Page Layout tab and select "4 pages per sheet" .

But note: the reduced page images will not be in the correct order or orientation for folding if printed double sided.

Edit: For your normal brochure/A5 printing, you do not need to use PDF. One can print these direct from Writer In /File /Print select Page Layout tab Check Brochure (no need to specify "pages per sheet") decide if you wish to print Front sides, back sides, or both. Now select General tab The image should show two pages, on a horizontal A4 sheet, your original page size automatically reduced to fit on the A5 area, as you will see from the thumbnail image.. On that screen there should be a Properties button (to right below selection box for printers) Press the Properties button On the Paper tab of the screen that opens check that A4 is shown as the Paper size, and that Orientation is Landscape. If not, change these. If you have a duplex (automatic doublesided printer) there will be a setting to select to print single or double sided. When you go back to the General tab, you can select the page ranges you wish to print. Typically one cannot staple a booklet of more than (say) 32 pages (8 sheets) unless one has professional equipment. I would print a book of several hundred pages by specifying the page ranges to print - 1-32, then 33-64, 65-96 etc (printing duplex). If printing on heavier paper than standard 75/80 gsm, I would print 1-24, 25-48,49-72 etc This all takes some getting used to: I recommend making a sample file of at least four pages to play with.

[Jasper77]

Thanks for your help, much appreciated. I'm still not too sure if I can do what I want but will experiment.

[RoryOF]

To print A6 sized booklets, you will have to use A5 paper in your printer, unless you use some program that can impose A6 pages correctly on A4 sheets for duplex printing as booklets.. I am certain that OpenOffice cannot do this. I think, but cannot remember the details, that I did years ago see a PDF program that could take a PDF of single page images and produce a PDF file of the correct layout. I never followed this up as it needed a version of Windows I didn't run.

[Jasper77]

Now that I have found some time to experiment I have a problem understanding something in your first post: "Select General tab". Now I know I'm elderly (in my eighties) and probably not as sharp as I should be, but I cannot find a "General tab". Could you please help me out there? At this point I think I may have to look for some software program to do what I want to do. Finding one doesn't appear to be easy. In the searches I have done so far many of those on offer work from Windows and I am using a Mac.

[Jasper77]

Thank you.

[Jasper77]

I'm beginning to think I'm wasting my time. When I select File/Print I don't see anything remotely relevant to "directions for selecting the correct paper, pages per sheet, pages to print, etc. On my Print dialog I have OpenOffice / Layout / Paper Handling /etc. choices under the Page selection fields, and I can select 4 pages per sheet in the Layout section. I can set the paper size in the Paper Handling section after selecting Scale to fit paper size."

As for A35, "OpenOffice provides two print dialogs. The choice is controlled by option OpenOffice → General → Print dialogs → Use OpenOffice dialogs." I haven't a clue what that is talking about and can't find anything in Writer that corresponds. It's too difficult; I'm throwing up my hands in despair.

[RoryOF]

I attach two screenshots; the first shows the Printer Properties, obtained by pressing Properties on the General tab of my printer dialog; this shows the dropdown set for A4 paper.

The second shows the General tab of my /File /Print dialog, the preview showing the effect of selecting 4 pages per sheet on the Page layout tab.

As you are using a Mac, you should follow Mr Programmer's advices (or Keme's - there are also other Mac users); Selecting the Use OpenOffice print dialogs should give you a Print screen similar to that I illustrate. I have not access to a Mac for detailed step by step instructions.

Note that the 4 pages per sheet setting I show will give 4 A6 pages on an A4 sheet, when the instructions I have given about pressing the Properties button (shown on Picture 2) and setting the Printer Properties (1st picture) to A4; however, and I cannot stress this sufficiently; this will not order the pages correctly for folding an A4 sheet to an A6 booklet, if printed double sided (I can expand on this, but just for now, believe me!)
.

[Jasper77]

Sorry, I don't see any attachments. Your message seems to have been cut off and incomplete.

[RoryOF]

It escaped - too early in morning - please try again!

[robleyd]

I see two images; try reloading the page in your browser.

Posts crossed - time for your morning $beverage RoryOF

[RoryOF]

Time for breakfast - porridge, O.J., potato cake, yoghurt, coffee.

[RoryOF]

It might be helpful to know the model of printer you are using.

What is your objective in printing an A6 booket? Is it to merely save paper, or do you have a specific design in mind. If you are printing to A6, are you intending to set your text to fit on A6, or do you propose working from a larger size (A5 or A4, for example) and automatically scaling down to A6?

My experience is that a text set on A4 pages is just legible on A5 with good normal vision; I doubt that it will be easily legible on A6; the reduction factor from A4 to A5 is 70%, from A4 to A6 is 50%; from A5 to A6 is 70 %. So if you start with 12 point type, on A5 is will be 8.4 point, on A6 6 pt.

[MrProgrammer]

As for A35, "OpenOffice provides two print dialogs. The choice is controlled by option OpenOffice → General → Print dialogs → Use OpenOffice dialogs." I haven't a clue what that is talking about …

Access the selections via OpenOffice → Preferences (or ⌘,).

The easy way to open the options panel is to hold ⌘ (Command) and press the Comma key. You can select the printer dialog which best meets your needs. If you check the selection, you should see the dialog which RoryOF described. On my system the «Use OpenOffice dialogs» selection is unchecked.

Choosing the print dialog for Q35/A35

I don't see anything remotely relevant to "directions for selecting the correct paper, pages per sheet, pages to print, etc. On my Print dialog I have OpenOffice / Layout / Paper Handling /etc. choices under the Page selection fields, and I can select 4 pages per sheet in the Layout section. I can set the paper size in the Paper Handling section after selecting Scale to fit paper size."

This is my printer dialog. You may have a different printer driver on your Mac, though your dialog should be similar. I've selected "Layout" underneath "Pages from 1 to 4", then later "Paper Handling" in that field.

Selecting four pages per sheet and Layout Direction

Selecting A4 paper size for the printer after setting «Scale to fit paper size»

Time for breakfast - porridge, O.J., potato cake, yoghurt, coffee.

I'll be right over.

I cannot stress this sufficiently; this will not order the pages correctly for folding an A4 sheet to an A6 booklet

The last two attachments illustrate how the pages will print in the default multi-page layout. You may want to experiment with the "Layout Direction" underneath where you select four pages per sheet.

[RoryOF]

These layouts, in this case 4 pages to an A4 sheet, are good if the pages are to be printed single sided. But if the intention is to print doublesided, and then fold the A4 sheet to A6, the page imposition is incorrect . One needs some of the pages printed inverted and then backed up on the second printing by correct second page, in the correct orientation. This cannot be done in OpenOffice, without a complex extension which has not yet been written.

If one wishes to print an A6 booklet, the easiest method is to print to A5 paper, either using the OO Brochure setting, or using a PDF file, _provided_ that the printer can feed such a size. A neighbouring print house will often chop a ream of A4 into two reams of A5, (often gratis, to cause one to go away!)

[RoryOF]

To print a booklet of A6 pages on an A4 page, so that it can be folded correctly, there is a method: Use OpenOffice's /File /Export to PDF, then download and install PDF-Booklet from
https://sourceforge.net/projects/pdfbooklet/

Into it load the PDF file you have just made. This application will allow the layout of the pages to be decided, and where appropriate, the pages inverted so that they are correctly oriented when the A4 sheet is folded. A little roundabout, but it works.

Note that some PDF files (I think using LZW internal compression) will not load on that application.