PDF Booklet Generator

This is a Python executable script that converts a standard PDF file into a PDF booklet. The booklet generator uses the pycpdflib library to manipulate the PDF pages.

User Guide

The PDF booklet generator can be executed directly without the need for any installations or environment setups. Here is how you can use the program:

Usage

The executable takes as input the paths to the input and output files. It has options for HP mode, left-to-right ordering, and just resizing without creating a booklet.

Run the executable in your terminal/command line as follows:

booking.exe input_pdf_path

Command Line Arguments

All command line arguments are required except for those in square brackets:

• input_pdf: Path to the input PDF file.
• output_pdf: Path to where the output PDF file will be saved. (optional)
• --hp: This option enables HP mode, which changes the page ordering.
• --ltr: This option specifies left-to-right page ordering for the booklet.
• --resize_only: This option resizes the pages without creating a booklet.
• --paper=11x17: This option let you select output size between LTR and 11x17

HP Mode

to print to hp printer use this settings

1. in cmd use --hp to make the page order
   • Print both sided and flip on short edge (flip up)
   • On output tab select Fold and Stich

Developer Guide

If you are a developer and want to further modify or contribute to this project, here are the instructions on the project setup:

Prerequisites

You will need the following on your system:

• Python 3.11.6 or higher
• The pycpdflib library

Installation

To install the necessary library, you can use pip:

pip install pycpdflib

Building the Executable

The PyInstaller library can be used to package the Python script into an executable. If not already installed, you can install it using pip:

pip install pyinstaller

Then you can generate the executable with the following command:

pyinstaller --onefile filename.py

Replace filename.py with the actual name of the script file you want to convert to executable.

The --onefile option tells PyInstaller to create a single executable file. If you prefer to have a bundled directory (containing an executable along with other files that your program needs), you can leave out the --onefile option.

Remember to replace filename.py with your actual Python script name in the command. The generated executable will be located in the dist directory.

Notes:

• This booklet creator currently supports Windows (32-bit and 64-bit) and Cygwin platforms.
• HP mode and other options are under development and may not be fully functional.

Please make sure to take a backup of your original file before using this tool as the resizing algorithm could distort the aspect ratio of the original PDF.