paperback - imposition of PDF pages for signature printing and binding
paperback file.pdf (produces file-paperback.pdf)
paperback [ option ]
Options:
-v print version and exit (also --version)
-h print summary help and exit (also --help)
Version 1.35
This program takes a PDF whose pages are small in size (A6, A5, Quarter Letter, Half Letter, Quarter Legal, Half Legal and Letter are supported) and produces a new PDF file, A4 or Letter or Legal or Tabloid or A3 in page size, with the original pages arranged in the correct order to be printed, folded, cut, and sewn together in signatures. This transformation is called "imposition".
All pages in the input PDF file will be imposed on a new PDF with bigger paper size, ready to be duplex-printed, folded and put together into signatures, according to its original page size. Input PDF is always assumed to be composed of vertical pages of the same size.
ISO 216 normalised (international) page sizes:
Input page sizes A6 (105 x 148 mm) and A5 (148 x 210 mm) produce an output page size of A4 (210 x 297 mm). Input page size A4 (210 x 297 mm) produces an output page size of A3 (297 x 420 mm). Four A6 pages will be put on each A4 page, two A5 pages will be put on each A4 page, or two A4 pages will be put on each A3 page. Before that, input pages will be reordered and reoriented so as to produce a final PDF fit for duplex 'long-edge-flip' printing.
ANSI normalised (US) page sizes:
Input page sizes Quarter Letter (4.25 x 5.5 in) and Half Letter (5.5 x 8.5 in) produce a Letter output page size (8.5 x 11 in). Input page sizes Quarter Legal (4.25 x 7 in) and Half Legal (7 x 8.5 in) produce a Legal output page size (8.5 x 14 in). Input page size Letter (8.5 x 11 in) produces a Tabloid output page size (11 x 17 in). Four Quarter-Letter pages will be put on each Letter page, two Half-Letter pages will be put on each Letter page, four Quarter-Legal pages will be put on each Legal page, two Half-Legal pages will be put on each Legal page, or two Letter pages will be put on each Tabloid page. Before that, input pages will be reordered and reoriented so as to produce a final PDF fit for duplex 'long-edge-flip' printing.
1. Which schema series (4up or 2up) is used depends on input PDF page size. For page sizes A6 (105 x 148 mm), Quarter Letter (4.25 x 5.5 in) and Quarter Legal (4.25 x 7 in), a 4up schema is used. For page sizes A5 (148 x 210 mm), Half Letter (5.5 x 8.5 in), Half Legal (7 x 8.5 in), Letter (8.5 x 11 in), and A4 (210 x 297 mm), a 2up schema is used.
2. What page size is used for the output PDF depends on input size page. For input pages of size A6 or A5, the output PDF pages are A4 (210 x 297 mm); for input pages of size Quarter Letter or Half Letter, the output PDF pages are Letter (8.5 x 11 in); for input pages of size Quarter Legal or Half Legal, the output PDF pages are Legal (8.5 x 14 in); for input pages of size Letter, the output PDF pages are Tabloid (11 x 17 in); for input pages of size A4, the output PDF pages are A3 (297 x 420 mm).
3. How many signatures are produced depends on the amount of input pages to be processed. Recto-verso (or duplex) printing is always assumed. Maximum number of pages in a signature is 16 for all schemas, but a signature is composed of fewer pages when the input PDF is below 16 pages.
Rearranging of pages is made according the following rules.
RECTO VERSO +------+------+ +------+------+ | | | | | | | 16 | 1 | | 2 | 15 | | | | | | | +------+------+ +------+------+ <- cut here | | | | | | | 13 | 4 | | 3 | 14 | <- row upside down | | | | | | +------+------+ +------+------+ +------+------+ +------+------+ | | | | | | | 12 | 5 | | 6 | 11 | | | | | | | +------+------+ +------+------+ <- cut here | | | | | | | 9 | 8 | | 7 | 10 | <- row upside down | | | | | | +------+------+ +------+------+
To complete the block of 16 logical pages, blank pages are inserted if needed. Beyond page 16, a new signature is started, with pages imposed this same way (these page numbers + 16, these page numbers + 32, etc).
RECTO VERSO +------+------+ +------+------+ | | | | | | | 12 | 1 | | 2 | 11 | | | | | | | +------+------+ +------+------+ <- cut here | | | | | | | 9 | 4 | | 3 | 10 | <- row upside down | | | | | | +------+------+ +------+------+ +------+------+ +------+------+ | | | | | | | 6 | 7 | | 8 | 5 | | | | | | | +------+------+ +------+------+ <- cut here | | | | | | | -- | -- | | -- | -- | <- row entirely blank | | | | | | +------+------+ +------+------+
RECTO VERSO +------+------+ +------+------+ | | | | | | | 8 | 1 | | 2 | 7 | | | | | | | +------+------+ +------+------+ <- cut here | | | | | | | 5 | 4 | | 3 | 6 | <- row upside down | | | | | | +------+------+ +------+------+
RECTO VERSO +------+------+ +------+------+ | | | | | | | 4 | 1 | | 2 | 3 | | | | | | | +------+------+ +------+------+ <- cut here | | | | | | | -- | -- | | -- | -- | <- row entirely blank | | | | | | +------+------+ +------+------+
RECTO VERSO +-------------+ +-------------+ | | | | | 1 | | 2 | | | | | +-------------+ +-------------+ <- fold here | | | | | 16 | | 15 | | | | | +-------------+ +-------------+ +-------------+ +-------------+ | | | | | 3 | | 4 | | | | | +-------------+ +-------------+ <- fold here | | | | | 14 | | 13 | | | | | +-------------+ +-------------+ +-------------+ +-------------+ | | | | | 5 | | 6 | | | | | +-------------+ +-------------+ <- fold here | | | | | 12 | | 11 | | | | | +-------------+ +-------------+ +-------------+ +-------------+ | | | | | 7 | | 8 | | | | | +-------------+ +-------------+ <- fold here | | | | | 10 | | 9 | | | | | +-------------+ +-------------+
RECTO VERSO +-------------+ +-------------+ | | | | | 1 | | 2 | | | | | +-------------+ +-------------+ <- fold here | | | | | 12 | | 11 | | | | | +-------------+ +-------------+ +-------------+ +-------------+ | | | | | 3 | | 4 | | | | | +-------------+ +-------------+ <- fold here | | | | | 10 | | 9 | | | | | +-------------+ +-------------+ +-------------+ +-------------+ | | | | | 5 | | 6 | | | | | +-------------+ +-------------+ <- fold here | | | | | 8 | | 7 | | | | | +-------------+ +-------------+
RECTO VERSO +-------------+ +-------------+ | | | | | 1 | | 2 | | | | | +-------------+ +-------------+ <- fold here | | | | | 8 | | 7 | | | | | +-------------+ +-------------+ +-------------+ +-------------+ | | | | | 3 | | 4 | | | | | +-------------+ +-------------+ <- fold here | | | | | 6 | | 5 | | | | | +-------------+ +-------------+
RECTO VERSO +-------------+ +-------------+ | | | | | 1 | | 2 | | | | | +-------------+ +-------------+ <- fold here | | | | | 4 | | 3 | | | | | +-------------+ +-------------+
A PDF file output by paperback can, if needed, be fed again as input in order to impose its pages on a bigger paper. For example, you may take a small A6-sized PDF, turn it into an A4-sized PDF, and feed this A4 PDF to paperback again in order to get an A3-size PDF apt to be duplex-printed, folded, cut and put into signatures.
The resulting PDF file will bear several "-paperback" infixes in its name, which serves as an indication of the number of times it has been processed.
Input page sizes allowed are A4, A5, A6, Letter, Half Letter, Quarter Letter, Half Legal, Quarter Legal and Letter. Other sizes give an error message.
Singatures follow the classic practice of "not more than four physical sheets of paper put together" (i.e., up to 16 pages per signature). However, for small quantities of input pages (less than 13), an effort is made to save paper by rearranging pages in smaller signatures.
Only PDF v1.4 is supported as input, although many higher-labeled PDF files are correctly handled since they are essentially v1.4 PDF files stamped as something more modern.
Encrypted PDFs are not supported.
Work has started to add correct processing of v1.5+ PDF files.
$ cpanm App::paperback (or sudo cpanm App::paperback)
$ cpanm --uninstall App::paperback (or sudo cpanm --uninstall App::paperback)
Hector M. Monacci
Copyright 2022 - Hector M. Monacci.
This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.
App::paperback
https://github.com/hectormonacci/perl-app-paperback
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imposition
To install App::paperback, copy and paste the appropriate command in to your terminal.
cpanm
cpanm App::paperback
CPAN shell
perl -MCPAN -e shell install App::paperback
For more information on module installation, please visit the detailed CPAN module installation guide.