How to Make a Booklet in Word 365 and Print It Correctly

To make a booklet in Word 365, open Layout > Margins > Custom Margins, choose Book fold from the Multiple pages menu, then check the print preview and print on both sides of the paper. Word rearranges the pages for folding, so you can write and edit them in ordinary reading order. Use the desktop version of Word for the booklet setup; Word for the web does not provide the same Book fold page-layout controls.

What You’ll Need

A Windows PC or Mac with the Microsoft 365 desktop version of Word.
Your booklet text and images, preferably edited and proofread before printing.
Paper in a size supported by your printer, such as Letter or A4, and a printer that can print on both sides. If it cannot, you can print one side at a time, but you will need to handle and reinsert the sheets carefully.
A stapler, long-reach stapler, or other binding method if you want to fasten the folded pages.

Step-by-Step

Start a document and set the paper size. Open Word and create a blank document, or open your existing text. On Windows, go to Layout > Size and select the paper that will go into your printer. On a Mac, use Layout > Size if that control is available in your ribbon; depending on the printer and Word configuration, paper sizes may also be selected in the print dialog. Choose the sheet size you will actually print on, not the smaller finished booklet size. For example, a booklet printed on Letter paper folds to roughly half-letter size.
Set up Book fold. In Windows Word, select Layout > Margins > Custom Margins. In the Page Setup dialog, open the Margins tab and select Book fold from Multiple pages. In Word for Mac, open Layout > Margins > Custom Margins, then choose Book fold in the Multiple pages setting. The page orientation changes to landscape automatically because each printed sheet holds two booklet pages side by side. Do not manually arrange your text into columns or change the page orientation again.
Choose the booklet’s sheet settings. In the same dialog, check the paper size and margins. Word may show a Sheets per booklet setting; leave it at All for a single booklet unless you have a specific reason to divide a long document into separate sections. For a booklet that will be stapled or folded tightly, consider adding a small gutter to give the binding more room. Keep the gutter modest, then inspect the preview because a large gutter can make the printed pages look uneven.
Confirm the settings. Select OK to apply them. The document may look different in Print Layout view: individual pages can appear side by side, and the page orientation may look wider. This is expected. The text is still in normal reading order in the document; Word handles which page goes on the left or right of each printed sheet.
Write and format the content in reading order. Type the cover content first, followed by the inside cover, body pages, and back cover in the order a reader should encounter them. Use Home > Styles to apply headings consistently. Insert a page break with Ctrl+Enter on Windows or Command+Return on Mac when a new section must start on a new page. Avoid pressing Enter repeatedly to force content onto another page, because later edits can shift that spacing and create unintended blank pages.
Add page numbers and check headers. Use Insert > Page Number to add numbering, then choose a position and style. If the cover should not display a number, open the header or footer and use Different First Page on the Header & Footer tab. Check that headers, footers, and page numbers are not too close to the fold or paper edge. If you use a section break, confirm that its header and footer settings behave as intended; section breaks can affect numbering and linkage between headers.
Review the page count and preview. A folded sheet makes four booklet pages: two on the front and two on the back. A booklet therefore works in groups of four pages. Word can add blank pages as needed to complete the final sheet, so inspect the end of the document and the print preview instead of assuming every page contains text. Select File > Print and review the preview from the front cover through the back. Confirm that spreads, page order, margins, and blank pages look right.
Print a test copy. In File > Print, choose the printer and select Print on Both Sides if duplex printing is available. For a booklet, the printer setting is generally Flip pages on short edge; printer drivers can use different wording, so verify the result with a test before printing a large batch. Print one copy, fold the sheets in half, and check that the cover is on the outside, pages follow in order, and the backs are upright. Then print the final copies and staple or bind them.

Common Mistakes

Choosing the finished page size instead of the sheet size: Book fold places two booklet pages on each sheet. If you want a half-letter booklet, for example, start with Letter paper and let Word arrange the smaller pages on the landscape sheet.
Manually changing the page order: Do not move the last page to the beginning or create facing-page spreads yourself. Word imposes the pages for booklet printing. Manually rearranging them can make the finished booklet unreadable.
Printing single-sided by accident: A normal one-sided print run will not produce the expected folded booklet. Check the duplex option and the printer’s binding-edge setting in the driver, not just the Word preview.
Ignoring blank pages: A short final sheet may need empty booklet pages to make a multiple of four. A blank page can be intentional, but an extra page in the middle may instead come from an unwanted page break or paragraph spacing.
Using oversized margins or large images without checking: Content near the fold or trim edge may be hard to read or may print outside the printer’s printable area. Inspect the preview and test a physical copy, especially for images and full-bleed designs.

Tips

Plan the physical result before formatting. Decide the finished size, paper type, and binding method first. A folded sheet is thicker at the fold as pages accumulate, so a very thick booklet may need a different binding approach or may be easier to split into sections.
Use a simple design for the first proof. Print a draft with page numbers and temporary labels such as “front cover” and “back cover.” That makes it easy to spot a rotation or page-order problem before using final paper or color ink.
Keep images and text inside safe margins. Most home printers cannot print all the way to the paper edge. Leave a little extra space around important content and avoid placing small type directly beside the center fold.
Save a separate print-ready copy. Keep your editable source document, and save a second copy after final layout changes. This makes it easier to revise the text later without losing the version prepared for printing.
Consider PDF for sharing or outside printing. Use File > Save As or File > Export to create a PDF, then inspect the PDF pages and print settings. If a print shop will impose the pages itself, ask whether it wants a normal reading-order PDF or a booklet-imposed file before sending it.

Troubleshooting

Book fold is missing: Check that you are using the desktop Word app rather than Word for the web. In the desktop app, open the full Custom Margins dialog from the Layout tab and look under Multiple pages. If the ribbon is simplified, expand it or use the dialog launcher in the Page Setup group.
The back of each sheet is upside down: The duplex binding edge is probably wrong. In the print dialog or printer properties, try the other flip option, usually short edge versus long edge. Print a single test sheet and fold it before printing the full booklet; printer models and driver labels vary.
Pages print in an unexpected order: Confirm that Book fold is still selected in Custom Margins and that you are printing the document through Word’s booklet layout. Do not select a separate booklet or multiple-pages-per-sheet setting in the printer driver unless you know it is required; applying imposition twice can scramble the layout.
The final page is blank or the page count seems off: Show formatting marks with Home > ¶ and look for extra paragraph marks, page breaks, or section breaks. Remember that a booklet sheet contains four logical pages, so a blank page at the end can be necessary. Remove only blank pages that are not required for the booklet sequence.
Text or images disappear near an edge: Increase the margin, reduce the image size, or move the content inward. Some printers have larger unprintable areas than others. Check the printer’s printable-area limits and make another test rather than relying only on the on-screen page boundary.
Manual duplex printing is confusing: If the printer has no automatic two-sided mode, use the printer’s manual duplex instructions if available. Print a small test batch first, mark the top edge of a sheet, and note which way the driver asks you to reinsert it. Feed direction differs by printer, so a guessed stack orientation can waste a full run.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make a booklet in Word for the web?
Word for the web can edit the document, but it does not offer the same desktop Book fold setup. Open the file in the Microsoft 365 desktop app to set the booklet layout and print it.

How many pages should a booklet have?
For a standard folded-sheet booklet, the total page count is most convenient as a multiple of four. Each sheet contributes four pages. Word may fill out an incomplete last sheet with blank pages.

Do I need to put the pages in booklet order myself?
No. Write and edit pages in normal reading order. With Book fold selected, Word rearranges them for printing so the sheets can be folded into a booklet.

Can I print a booklet on a printer without duplex printing?
Yes, if the printer can feed paper for a second pass, but you must print the two sides separately and reinsert the sheets correctly. Follow the printer’s manual duplex directions and test a small number of pages first.

Why does my booklet have blank pages?
A blank page may complete a four-page sheet or leave the inside of a cover blank. If it appears unexpectedly in the middle, turn on formatting marks and check for extra page breaks, section breaks, or empty paragraphs.

Can I save the booklet as a PDF?
Yes. Save or export the Word document as a PDF, then review the result before sharing or printing. Ask a print shop whether it wants pages in normal reading order or already arranged as booklet spreads.

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