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I have designed a trifold brochure spanning 6 spreads in InDesign using individual pages. My print-shop tells me I have to arrange them into two pages (each containing three of my spreads), one being the outside and one being the inside. (I hope 1. I am using the term spread and page correctly, 2. one can follow my description).

I did find out, that you can use the "print booklet" feature to "convert" my document as if I had only worked with two pages from the beginning on. However here is my problem: The pages are not in the right order.

My print-shop told me the order has to be Spread 5, 6, 1 for the "outside" and 2, 3, 4 for the "inside".

However for me it is 1,2,3 and 4,5,6:

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Is there a way to change the page order in the "print-booklet" dialogue, or do I have to do this "manually" by reordering the pages in my project.

I think this might be the dialog where I can define my own order? However things are greyed out.

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What they are asking is correct. Normally when preparing such artwork for print, you shuffle the artwork for production. You probably need to deliver a PDF with 2 pages, each with a size 3 times as wide as your single-page size. And yes you need to move the artwork around so you have single pages 5,6,1 on the first 3x page, and single pages 2,3,4 on the second 3x page.

Again. Dont set this up as 6 pages. Create a new document with 2 pages (not facing) and set their width to 3x your "normal" page size. Your final PDF should be 2 large pages (3x) with no spreads.

I also googled and found this post which gives more detail.

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  • I see. However I had already designed everything with the setup I have and including the master pages the work reorganising three pages into one single page would have been quite a lot. Also I have the problem that there are objects going off these pages into the pasteboard which would normally get cropped, but not when I make them facing (or merging them into one single page).
    – CrazyQwert
    Mar 9, 2017 at 12:58
  • I did manage to create a pdf that should meet what is asked, however I therefore had to re-arrange pages in my InDesign Project. I wondered, if there is a possibility to achieve the same thing, whilst keeping my page-order intact (so it might be still used for normal printing as in not a tri-fold thingy).
    – CrazyQwert
    Mar 9, 2017 at 13:00
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    Print production is tricky. Normally you need to manually adjust your artwork so it only goes outside the artboard where you need it to. Tri-fold is more tricky because you need to change to order of your pages. I`m not sure if there's any alternative to this.
    – Lucian
    Mar 9, 2017 at 13:15
  • I see. I was already very relieved, that I found the "print booklet" option. Otherwise it would have been a lot more work than only reordering some pages.
    – CrazyQwert
    Mar 9, 2017 at 13:18
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    @CrazyQwert There is a trick you can do. You place the pages of one document in another document, this means you vcan have a template for trifold that links to a file and then just replace those links with any document and it will just repurpose those pages to trifold.
    – joojaa
    Mar 9, 2017 at 13:52
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  • File > Document Setup > Uncheck Facing pages
  • Pages panel: deselect Allow Document Pages To Shuffle
  • Pages panel: drag and arrange pages in order to have 2-3-4 and 5-6-1
  • Pages panel: right click on page 2, go to Numbering Options : Tick Start Page Numbering At 2 (
  • Pages panel: right click on page 1, go to Numbering Options : Tick Start Page Numbering At 1

Finally export as a PDF and tick Spreads

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  • I did try this method, however I have objects that are going off these pages into the pasteboard. Now when I put them together these objects which would normally get cropped are visible on the accompanying pages. Is there maybe a setting to change this behaviour since it is not really desired in my circumstance?
    – CrazyQwert
    Mar 9, 2017 at 12:54
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    Just resize the overlapping elements in order to keep only left bleed for pages 5 and 2, right bleed for pages 4 and 1 and no inner bleeding for pages 3 and 6.
    – Vinny
    Mar 9, 2017 at 13:35
  • Sadly these are angled rectangles, object groups, etc. I am talking about, so I would have to crop them unless I edit them one by one adjusting their anchor points so that they line up with the page edge. Quite the hassle to put it short, unless I am not quite understanding what you are trying to get at.
    – CrazyQwert
    Mar 9, 2017 at 16:53
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    I see. In this case, I think the easiest way would be to create a new document, 2 pages non facing (see Lucian's answer). Then create frames, place as à link the original indd document itself. Check import options. Center page in frame, then drag where necessary
    – Vinny
    Mar 9, 2017 at 18:04
  • You would be able to cut your angled rectangles, for example, and then use the "paste into" command, to paste them into a standard graphic frame. Then you can adjust the edge of the graphic frame to trim the angled rectangle to your page edge. May not be the effect you want to achieve, but it is another possibility.
    – magerber
    Mar 11, 2017 at 20:11

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