Booklet Issues

users
#1

Ok, here is the issue to the best of my ability to explain.
I am trying to print a booklet using LibreOffice's "Brochure" print
function. It issue is that I don't want my booklet a whole half page. I used
margins to set the page size I need. The issue is when I print, it prints a
huge gap in the middle (Which I know is the left margin I set).
<http://nabble.documentfoundation.org/file/n4128001/AllLeft.png>
I also tried setting different margins for the left and right pages (both
ways)
<http://nabble.documentfoundation.org/file/n4128001/LeftAndRight.png>
and can't get it to solve the problem. Any help?

#2

Ok, here is the issue to the best of my ability to explain.

I fear you may have fallen into the common error of explaining and showing clearly what you *don't* want but not what you do!

I am trying to print a booklet using LibreOffice's "Brochure" print function. It issue is that I don't want my booklet a whole half page. I used margins to set the page size I need.

A brochure prints so that you can fold the resulting printed sheets in half to create the booklet. If you fold any size sheet in half, you necessarily get a booklet which is half the sheet size. To put it another way, the paper size you use needs to be twice the required booklet size.

The issue is when I print, it prints a huge gap in the middle (Which I know is the left margin I set). I also tried setting different margins for the left and right pages (both
ways) and can't get it to solve the problem.

So what *is* the problem? If you want a smaller page size, you need buy smaller paper. If you want to be able to trim your final booklet to a smaller size, your second picture would appear to show exactly what you need. Do you mean that you just want your smaller page text areas to be centred within the larger pages - in other words simply with large text margins? You can do that easily, simply by setting appropriate page margins.

By the way, the page size set in your document should be the smaller brochure page size, not the printed sheet size. Is that what you are doing?

I trust this helps.

Brian Barker

#3

Thank you Brian. I will try to show you what I want and clarify the problem.
Firstly, you are absolutely right, I need smaller paper. Unfortunately,
nobody sells 180 x 140 mm paper and even if they did or I were to trim
regular paper before printing, my printer does not have that as an option.
I tried going ahead and setting LibreOffice to page size to 90 x 140 mm, but
when printing on an 8.5 x 11 in paper, it just expanded my page to fill the
half-page.
The problem with my current solution of playing with the margins is how it
PRINTS OUT. The first image prints out like this:
<http://nabble.documentfoundation.org/file/n4128113/Print2.png>
Where the dotted line is where I'd like to trim and the solid line is the
fold line.
My second image prints out like this:
<http://nabble.documentfoundation.org/file/n4128113/Print1.png>
What I really want is it to print out like this for both the front and the
back:
<http://nabble.documentfoundation.org/file/n4128113/Print3.png>
Any further help you can offer would be much appreciated.

#4

I will try to show you what I want and clarify the problem. Firstly, you are absolutely right, I need smaller paper. Unfortunately, nobody sells 180 x 140 mm paper and even if they did or I were to trim regular paper before printing, my printer does not have that as an option.

Oh, indeed: that will not be the way to do this.

I tried going ahead and setting LibreOffice to page size to 90 x 140 mm, but when printing on an 8.5 x 11 in paper, it just expanded my page to fill the half-page.

That won't be, either.

What I really want is it to print out like this for both the front and the back:
<http://nabble.documentfoundation.org/file/n4128113/Print3.png>

That was my first guess in my previous response - and you appeared to have achieved what you needed. You said "I also tried setting different margins for the left and right pages (both ways) ... and can't get it to solve the problem." But your picture LeftAndRight showed exactly what you needed. Do you mean that this was a mock-up and not a genuine picture of what you achieved?

o Set your document page size to half Letter and orientation to Portrait.
o On the right of the Page tab of the Page Style dialogue, under "Layout settings", for "Page layout" select Mirrored.
o Adjust the Top and Bottom margins appropriately to reduce the vertical size of the print area.
o Note that the other two margin settings have now changed from Left and Right to Inner and Outer. Here's the clever bit: select a small Inner margin to construct the gutter and a large Outer margin to displace each print area inwards from the edge of the paper.
o When printing, ensure that the paper settings in the Print dialogue are Letter size and Landscape orientation.
o Fold, (staple? stitch?), and finally trim to size.

See samples sent privately.

I trust this helps.

Brian Barker

#5

Hi Jake,

Here is the excellent advise I got from Mark Bourne WHY LibreOffice "brochure" print BEHAVES this way