The Foldpic collection / Photo booklet
Your favourite moments. Bound together.
A stapled booklet is the closest thing to a real book you can make with a home printer.
Your sheet, before the magic
At a glance +
- Pages
- 8 · 12 · 16 · 20 · 24 · 28 · 32 (up to 16 free)
- Sheets
- 4 for 16 pages
- Printing
- Both sides, flip on short edge
- Time
- about 15 min · stapler, ruler or bone folder
- A4 sheet
- A5 pages · 149 × 210 mm
- US Letter sheet
- half Letter pages · 140 × 216 mm
- A3 sheet
- A4 pages · 210 × 297 mm · needs an A3 printer
- US Tabloid (11×17) sheet
- Letter pages · 216 × 279 mm · needs an 11×17 printer
Pages are half the sheet, so an A5 book comes off any A4 printer, an A4-page book needs an A3-capable printer, and A3 pages would need A2 — no home printer offers that, so it is a copy-shop job.
Why make a photo booklet at home
Foldpic lays your photos out on A5 or half-Letter pages, then imposes them two per side so that when you print both sides, stack the sheets and fold the pile in half, every page lands in order. Two staples on the spine and it is done.
You design in reading order and never see the imposed sheets until you download. Foldpic works out that sheet one carries pages 16 and 1 on the front and 2 and 15 on the back, tells your printer to flip on the short edge, and labels every sheet in the margin so you cannot stack them wrong.
Booklets run from 8 to 32 pages in steps of four. The first 16 pages are free; larger booklets will need a per-project unlock that is coming soon.
Real pages, real spine
Nested sheets folded together and stapled twice make a book that opens flat enough to read and stands up in a bookcase, unlike a loose stack of prints.
Duplex without the guesswork
The print-settings card says which flip edge to use, reminds you to turn collate on, and includes a hold-to-the-light check for the back side before you fold anything.
No long-arm stapler required
The instructions show the open-the-stapler-flat trick with a folded towel underneath, so an ordinary desk stapler reaches the centre fold.
Page counts that always fold
The editor only offers 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28 or 32 pages, because a folded sheet always holds four. You never end up with a page count that cannot be bound.
A few folds from finished
6 steps, printed on both sides. The full instruction sheet with checks and a common-mistakes box comes with your PDF.
1Print 4 sheets, both sides. Print 4 sheets on both sides, flip on the short edge.
2Check the back side is the right way up. Turn one over: the back page shares the same top edge.
3Stack the sheets in order. Stack the sheets in order, side A facing down.
4Fold the whole stack in half. Fold the whole stack in half. Page 1 is on the front.
5Staple the spine. Two staples on the crease.
6Trim the edge (optional). Trim the open edge if you want it flush. Done.
1Print 4 sheets, both sides
2Check the back side is the right way up
3Stack the sheets in order
4Fold the whole stack in half
5Staple the spine
6Trim the edge (optional)
Templates for this format
Around the Table
A magazine-style family booklet: big serif titles, hairline frames.
Photo booklet · Editorial · Family
Paper Vows
An ivory serif wedding booklet: full-bleed pages, a collage, the vows.
Photo booklet · Wedding
Quiet Pages
The all-purpose minimal photo booklet: white pages, no fuss.
Photo booklet · Minimal
Field Notes
A kraft-paper travel booklet with journal pages and a contact sheet.
Photo booklet · Kraft · Travel
Before you print
- How to print a booklet at home (duplex, flip edge and collate explained)
Print a saddle-stitched booklet on a home printer: exact settings, which duplex flip edge, how to stack and fold, and how to check the first sheet.
- Flip on short edge vs long edge: which duplex setting for a booklet or zine
Long edge or short edge? The duplex flip setting for booklets and zines, why guides disagree, and a 10-second hold-to-light test to get it right.
- How to staple a booklet without a long-arm stapler
Bind a saddle-stitched booklet at home with an ordinary stapler, a needle and thread, or no binding at all. Spine measurements for A5 and half-Letter.
- Why booklet page counts must be a multiple of 4
Every folded sheet carries four pages, so a booklet has 8, 12 or 16 pages, never 10. The imposition maths, the N+1 check, blank padding and creep.
Photo booklet questions
What size are the finished pages?
Half of your sheet. A4 gives A5 pages (148 by 210 mm) and US Letter gives 5.5 by 8.5 inch pages on any home printer. An A4-page album needs an A3-capable printer (Tabloid gives Letter-size pages the same way), and A3 pages would need A2 — no home printer offers that, so it is a copy-shop job.
Do I need a printer that prints on both sides?
Automatic duplex is easiest, but manual duplex works: print side A of every sheet, reload the stack as the guide shows, and print side B. The test page checks your flip direction first.
How many sheets does a 16-page booklet use?
Four. Each sheet holds four pages, two per side, so sheets equal pages divided by four.
What paper should I use?
100 to 160 gsm matte paper for the inside works on most home printers. If your printer accepts it, a 160 to 200 gsm sheet for the cover gives a sturdier book.
Why do the back pages sometimes come out upside down?
The printer flipped on the wrong edge. Reprint with the other flip setting. The guide tells you which one to choose for a landscape sheet, and the test page shows you if it is wrong before you waste paper.
Is 16 pages enough for a photo booklet?
Sixteen A5 pages comfortably hold 25 to 40 photos with captions, depending on the layouts you choose. Bigger booklets up to 32 pages are supported and will need a per-project unlock.
Make your photo booklet now
Your first project is free, up to 16 pages. No sign-up. Just you and a little creativity.