Reformat PDF Documents Before Printing

Some say that printer ink is more expensive than gold. I'm not sure if this is still true with gold breaking one all-time high after the other. Still, printer ink is pretty expensive, especially if you buy official ink. One way to save ink is to print multiple pages on one sheet of paper. That can be done in some, but not all, pdf readers out there. Adobe Reader can print multiple pages per sheet for instance.

Govert's Simple Imposition Tool is a free standalone software that can reformat pdf documents before printing. It is not only useful for users whose pdf readers cannot print multiple pages though, as it offers more than just that.

When you open the program for the first time, you notice a one-page layout where everything is configured. You load a pdf document at the top. The properties of the document are shown below, including the document's size, pages and rotation.

Four formatting options and five optional settings are available under the Impose for section. You have the following formatting options:

• Booklet printing - Orders the pages automatically so that you get a booklet when you print and fold the printout. Optional foldmark can be added, which can be read by automatic folding machines.
• 2-up printing - Odd and even pages are printed side by side on one sheet of paper. Page Separation lines can be optionally added.
• Duplicate side-by-side - Print the same page twice on one sheet of paper. Cutmarks can be added to define where the document should be cut in half.
• 2x 1/2n - Places first half of multipage document side by side with second half. Duplex printing and cutmarks optional.

A click on the Action button launches a file save window where you can enter a name for the new pdf document. And that's basically it.

If you compare the options to Adobe Reader, you notice that some are supported by Adobe's product as well. You can use Adobe Reader to print multiple pages on one sheet and in booklet format. What's not supported is the ability to print the same page multiple times on a sheet, and the option to place the first half of the document side by side with the second half.

The Simple Imposition Tool is available for Windows PCs. It requires the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0. The program was tested under a 64-bit edition of Windows 7 Professional. It worked without flaws.