folio

A command-line tool for preparing PDFs for printing as booklets or multi-up handouts.

Overview

folio simplifies the process of transforming regular PDF documents into printer-ready formats:

• Booklet layout: Reorder and arrange pages for saddle-stitch or folded booklet printing
• N-up layout: Place multiple pages on a single sheet (2-up or 4-up) for handouts or review copies
• PDF info: Quickly inspect page count, dimensions, and orientation

Ideal for personal printing projects, zine creation, or preparing conference handouts.

Features

• Booklet creation: Automatically reorders pages for booklet printing with configurable binding edge
• N-up layouts: Arrange 2 or 4 pages per sheet with automatic orientation detection
• Flexible sheet sizes: Supports common paper sizes (letter, A4) or auto-detection from source
• Auto-padding: Adds blank pages when needed to meet layout requirements
• Simple CLI: Straightforward commands with sensible defaults

Installation

From Source

Prerequisites:

• Go 1.25 or later

Steps:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/julianstephens/folio.git
cd folio

# Build the binary
make build

# The binary is now available at ./bin/folio
# Optionally, move it to your PATH
cp bin/folio /usr/local/bin/

Usage

Basic Commands

Get PDF Information

Display page count, dimensions, and orientation of a PDF file:

folio info <input.pdf>

Example:

folio info document.pdf

Output:

File: document.pdf
Pages: 8
Page size: 612 x 792 pt (US Letter 8.5x11in)
Orientation: portrait

Create a Booklet

Transform a PDF into a booklet layout suitable for saddle-stitch binding:

folio booklet <input.pdf> -o <output.pdf>

Example:

folio booklet document.pdf -o booklet.pdf

Options:

• -o, --output: Output file path (required)
• --sheet-size: Target sheet size (e.g., letter, a4)
• --pad: Page padding mode (auto or none, default: auto)
• --binding-edge: Binding edge orientation (long or short, default: long)

Example with options:

folio booklet document.pdf -o booklet.pdf --sheet-size=letter --binding-edge=long

Create N-up Layout

Arrange multiple pages per sheet for compact printing:

folio nup <input.pdf> -o <output.pdf> --per-sheet=2

Example (2-up layout):

folio nup document.pdf -o handout-2up.pdf --per-sheet=2

Example (4-up layout):

folio nup document.pdf -o handout-4up.pdf --per-sheet=4

Options:

• -o, --output: Output file path (required)
• --per-sheet: Number of pages per sheet (2 or 4, default: 2)
• --sheet-size: Target sheet size (e.g., letter, a4)
• --orientation: Output orientation (portrait, landscape, or empty for auto-detection)
• --pad: Page padding mode (auto or none, default: auto)

Complete Examples

See the examples/ directory for sample PDFs and step-by-step command examples.

Limitations and Known Caveats

• PDF version support: Works with standard PDF files; some features may not work with encrypted or heavily compressed PDFs
• Page reordering only: Does not modify page content, only arrangement and layout
• Auto-padding: When --pad=auto (default), blank pages are added to meet layout requirements (e.g., booklets need multiples of 4 pages)
• Sheet sizes: Limited to common paper sizes; custom dimensions are not yet supported
• Binding edges: Booklet binding edge options are long (default, for portrait sheets) and short (for landscape sheets)
• No duplex configuration: Output assumes your printer's duplex settings are correct for the layout (e.g., flip on short edge for booklets)

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please open an issue or submit a pull request.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for details.

Acknowledgments

• Built with pdfcpu for PDF processing
• CLI powered by kong