Simple problem:

I have: a PDF file containing a portrait document (many pages) on A5 paper, a system running CUPS and a hardware duplex printer.

I want: The PDF document printed onto A4 paper (twice as big as A5), such that if I fold it down the middle, I get a book with the pages in readable order.


So far, I've tried using ps2ps with psbook, but to little avail. If I put a blank page at the start of the PDF, then I get pages 1 and 2 in the right place, but page 3 comes on the same piece of paper as 1 and 2. It doesn't seem to be able to re-shuffle the pages into the correct order for a booklet.

I've found a few methods for printing booklets by printing the odd pages first, then physically turning the paper over and then printing the even pages, but this needs manual intervention and isn't very reliable if something goes wrong part-way through printing (e.g. the printer deciding to feed two sheets of paper at once).

Any ideas?

There is a set of bash scripts called duplex (currently version 0.1.1; available in .tar.gz and .rpm format). They're intended mainly for non-duplex printers, in a manner similar to windows. It prints the first; spools the second; etc. When the first run is done, you turn the pages 180 degrees, and print the rest of the spooled print.
You may be able to adapt the scripts to a full-duplex printer. duplex can be found here.

I've taken a look at duplex, and it looks perfect for what it was designed for, i.e. emulating the standard printer options.

Anyway, the command I was actually looking for was:…which I eventually found in the pstops manpage!

The page sizes aren't quire right (they're for Letter paper) but that's easily fixed…