How to print multiple pages per sheet and save paper
Put 2, 4, 6 or 9 pages on each sheet for slides, notes and handouts. Which layout to choose, how to print it at the right size, and what it can't do.
A 60-slide presentation printed one slide per page is a thick stack of mostly white paper. Lecture notes, drafts and long reports have the same problem. Printing several pages on each sheet cuts the paper, the ink and the bulk of what you carry. Most printer dialogs offer this, but the setting is different on every printer and often disappears when you share the file. Making the sheets in the PDF itself works anywhere.
Make a multi-page-per-sheet PDF
- Open Pages per Sheet and add your PDF.
- Choose 2, 4, 6 or 9 pages per sheet.
- Pick the sheet size, A4 or US Letter, and leave the direction on Automatic to let the tool choose portrait or landscape, whichever fits your pages better.
- Adjust the sheet margin and the gap between pages. Keep the thin border on if you want each page outlined, which helps when pages have white backgrounds.
- Use “Pages to include” if you only want part of the document, for example
1-12. - Check the preview of the first sheet, then click Create PDF and print the result normally.
Which layout should you choose?
| Per sheet | Paper used | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Half | Reports and documents where you still want to read the text comfortably. Uses a landscape sheet with two portrait pages side by side. |
| 4 | A quarter | Slides, lecture notes and most handouts. Text from a normal slide stays readable. |
| 6 | A sixth | Slides with large text, and quick review copies. |
| 9 | A ninth | An overview of a long deck, a thumbnail contact sheet, or checking page layout. Small text becomes hard to read. |
A good rule: print one test sheet before the whole run. If you have to squint at the sample, go down a level.
Printing it properly
- Print at actual size (100%). The new pages are already the right size, so “fit to page” or “scale” settings can only shrink them again.
- Use both sides of the paper. Choose double-sided printing in the print dialog. Four slides per sheet on both sides puts eight slides on a single sheet of paper, so a 60-slide deck is eight sheets.
- Use draft or greyscale mode for notes you will only read, to save ink.
- Check the margins. Many printers cannot print right to the edge, so keep a sheet margin of at least 10 to 15 points.
How the layout works
Pages are placed left to right, then top to bottom, in the order they appear in the document. Each page is scaled to fit its cell and centred, keeping its own shape, so pages of different sizes, such as a landscape page in a portrait document, can share a sheet. Pages stored rotated, as scans often are, are turned upright first. The pages are placed as scaled copies of the original, not as pictures, so text stays sharp.
What it does not do
This tool arranges pages in a grid. It does not reorder them into booklet order, where the pages are rearranged so a folded stack reads correctly. If you need a different page order, rearrange the PDF first with Organize Pages, or print a range. See also how to merge, split and reorder PDF pages.
Combine with other tools
- Trim wide margins first with Crop PDF Pages, so the content is larger on each small page. See cropping PDF margins.
- Add numbers with Add Page Numbers before you combine, so each small page keeps its number.
- If the PDF is too large to email after arranging, use Compress PDF.
Your document is processed on your device and is not uploaded, so confidential slides and notes stay private.