Shuffle Pages in InDesign for Accordion Booklets
These instructions are available in a quick and easy video here:
- Open InDesign.
- Set your individual panel specs.
- De-select “Facing Pages”.
- Click on “Pages” panel.
- In upper right corner, click the flyout menu (sandwich button).
- Scroll down, and deselect “Allow Document Pages to Shuffle”.
- This is the point where we will place the individual panels where we need them for our pagination. I am working with a 12-page accordion here.
- Be sure to note… the industry standard is for your FRONT COVER PANEL to be the far right panel of the accordion. This is how we recommend paginating your panels and is how we will assume you want your accordion folded unless you indicate an alternative.
- Drag book pages 12-8 to be on the left side of PDF pg 1.
- Drag book pages 3-7 to be on the right side of PDF pg 2.
- Now I have the front and back side of my accordion booklet laid out in unfolded format!
- Now we need to adjust the bleed area, since we don’t want the artwork to overlap on the edges where the panels touch. Take special care with your artwork on these panels and make sure your content is aligned as intended.
- From here we HIGHLY RECOMMEND printing out a prototype of the booklet at home or at a local print shop to confirm the pagination is accurate. Your page count will impact which side of the accordion appears as the back cover panel when the booklet is folded.
- For example: Here is a 12-page test booklet I have laid out in InDesign.
- Here is how the booklet will open and fold once printed.
As a note, InDesign does restrict the number of panels that can be shuffled to 10. So for page counts over 20 we recommend not working with individual panels, but setting the page size as the total unfolded size.
As a note, InDesign does restrict the number of panels that can be shuffled to 10. So for page counts over 20 we recommend not working with individual panels, but setting the page size as the total unfolded size.