A Skelderheim Book Series

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Printing and Binding Journal Chapters

Printing Chapter PDFs

If you already have the free Chapter files from this site, or the full chapters from our membership area, then you are ready to print and bind the chapters in booklet format.

This page is about getting them from your screen onto paper in a way that works for cutting and binding later.

If you are here after the Create Your Book overview, you have probably chosen a size and gathered at least some supplies. If not, this page will walk through the choices again from the printer side of things. By the end, you should have at least one Chapter printed correctly and ready for cutting.

1. Choose which version to print

Each Printable Chapter comes in two versions:

  • Half Letter – two smaller pages on each sheet, meant to be cut in half for a hand sized book
  • Full US Letter – one full page on each sheet, meant for standard binders and full size notebooks

If you want the version that feels most like a finished book, choose Half Letter. Once it is printed, cut, and bound, it reads like a small paperback and fits easily in your hands or a bag.

If you want to slide pages straight into a three ring binder or sheet protectors, choose Full US Letter. This version is better when your main goal is storage, annotation space, or a standard office layout.

Pick one version for this run. You can always come back later and reprint a favorite Chapter in the other size.

2. Basic printer setup

Open the Chapter PDF on your computer using any standard PDF viewer (Adobe Acrobat Reader, the built-in viewer on your system, or another PDF app).

Before you print, open the Print dialog and check these settings:

  • Printer – the device you want to use
  • Pages – All, or a small test range if you want a trial run
  • Paper size – Letter
  • Orientation – Landscape
  • Scaling – “Actual size” or “100%”
  • Color – Color or Black and White, either is fine

Avoid options that change the size automatically, such as “Fit,” “Shrink,” or “Fill,” if they cut into margins or clip page numbers.

Most viewers show a preview on the right side:

  • For Half Letter layouts, you should see two smaller pages side by side on each sheet.
  • For Full US Letter, you should see one page centered on the sheet.

If the preview does not look like that, adjust the settings before printing a full stack.

3. Booklet mode for Half Letter Chapters

For Half Letter Chapters, many printers and PDF viewers offer a booklet feature that handles page ordering. In Adobe Acrobat and Acrobat Reader, this is usually under Page Sizing & Handling → Booklet, which arranges pages so that when you print double-sided, fold, and staple, the pages fall in the correct order. Adobe Help Center

Look in your Print dialog for options named things like:

  • “Booklet”
  • “Booklet printing”
  • “Print as booklet”

When you find it and turn it on, check these settings:

  • Booklet subset – Both sides, if your printer can print on both sides
  • Binding – Left (for left-to-right reading)
  • Orientation – Landscape

If your printer supports automatic double sided printing, also set:

  • Print on both sides – enabled
  • Flip on short edge – selected

Print a small test:

  1. In the Pages field, set a short range, such as 1 to 4.
  2. Print that sample.
  3. Hold the sheet as if you are reading it like a book, then flip it. Both sides should read upright.

If the back side is upside down, change the flip setting (short edge versus long edge) and try the same test again.

Once the test looks right, you can print the full Chapter.

For a more detailed walkthrough of booklet printing specifically in Adobe Acrobat/Reader, you can check Adobe’s own booklet printing guide:
Adobe: Print a multi-page document as a booklet. Adobe Help Center

4. Double sided printing with a duplex printer

Here is a great video on Printer settings:

If your printer can print on both sides of the paper automatically (this is called duplex printing), you do not need to flip sheets by hand. Many apps and drivers expose this as “Print on both sides” or “Two-sided” printing. Microsoft Support+1

In the Print dialog:

  1. Choose your printer.
  2. Set Paper size to Letter and Orientation to Landscape.
  3. Look for a two sided option. Names vary:
    • Print on both sides
    • Two-sided
    • Duplex
  4. Turn that option on and choose “Flip on short edge” if the printer asks.
  5. Set Pages to a short range, such as 1 to 4, for a test.
  6. Click Print.

Check the sample:

  • The Chapter should appear on both sides.
  • When you flip the sheet from right to left like a normal book page, the back should read in the same direction as the front.

If the test looks good, go back and print the full Chapter.

If your printer does not support automatic two sided printing, you can still print Chapters. You will print the fronts first, then reload the stack to print the backs.

If you want a general reference on duplex printing from a word processor, Microsoft’s guide to “Print on both sides of the paper (duplex printing) in Word” explains how automatic and manual duplex options usually appear in Windows print dialogs:
Microsoft: Print on both sides of the paper (duplex printing). Microsoft Support

On macOS, Apple’s help page shows where to find the Double-sided menu (including “On (Short Edge)” and “On (Long Edge)” bindings) in the system print panel:
Apple: Print double-sided pages with your Mac. Apple Support

5. Manual double sided printing for single sided printers

If your printer only prints on one side of the paper, use this method.

5.1 Learn how your printer feeds paper

This small test saves wasted ink and paper.

  1. Take one blank sheet.
  2. On one side, in the lower left corner, draw a small arrow that points toward the top edge.
  3. Place the sheet in the tray as you normally would.
  4. In your PDF viewer, choose Print and print a single page.
  5. When the sheet comes out, note:
    • Which side has printing
    • Where the arrow ended up

This shows which side the printer uses and how it rotates the page. You will match this when you reload the Chapter stack.

5.2 Print the fronts

  1. Load a stack of blank paper into the tray.
  2. Open the Print dialog and set:
    • Paper size: Letter
    • Orientation: Landscape
    • Scaling: Actual size or 100 percent
  3. For Half Letter Chapters:
    • Enable booklet mode if available
    • Choose the setting for “Front side only” or similar
  4. For Full US Letter Chapters:
    • Leave booklet mode off
  5. Set a short page range, such as 1 to 4, and print a test.

If the test looks correct, print all front pages for the Chapter.

5.3 Reload the stack

  1. Take the stack of printed sheets and tap it on a flat surface so all edges line up.
  2. Place the stack back into the paper tray.
  3. Use what you learned from the arrow test:
    • Match the side that should receive ink
    • Match the edge that should go into the printer first

Your goal is to have the printer hit the blank side of each sheet and keep the backs in the same reading direction as the fronts.

5.4 Print the backs

  1. In the Print dialog, keep the same settings you used for the fronts.
  2. For Half Letter Chapters in booklet mode:
    • Choose the setting for “Back side only” or its equivalent
  3. For Full US Letter Chapters:
    • Choose the remaining page range that has not been printed yet
  4. Start with a short range, such as 1 to 4, and print a test.
  5. Check that:
    • The backs are on the blank side
    • The text is not upside down

If the test looks correct, print the remaining backs for the Chapter.

If you want a more general walkthrough of manual duplex printing techniques, several vendor and third-party guides cover the same “print fronts, flip stack, print backs” method. For example:
– HP’s article on duplex/manual duplex printer settings: HP: Manage driver settings for Duplex (auto and manual). HP Support
– A generic step-by-step overview: How to print on both sides of paper using Adobe Acrobat. Adobe Help Center

6. Quick checks before moving on

Before you leave the printer and move to cutting and assembly, run this short checklist:

  • Pages are printed on both sides where you expect them to be.
  • Text is clear and not cropped at any edge.
  • For Half Letter Chapters, two smaller pages appear on each side of a sheet.
  • When you flip a sheet like a normal book page, the back is oriented correctly.

If something is wrong, adjust the setting that controls that part and print a single test sheet again rather than redoing the whole stack.

Once a full Chapter passes these checks, you are ready for the next stage: cutting and assembling the pages into book sized stacks.