---
name: "psbook"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "psutils"
version: "3.3.17-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/psbook"
---

# psbook(1)

## NAME

psbook

## SYNOPSIS

**psbook** \[OPTION...\] \[INFILE \[OUTFILE\]\]

## DESCRIPTION

**psbook** uses **pstops** to rearrange pages from a PDF or PostScript document into ‘signatures’ for printing books or booklets, creating a new file. A ‘signature’, often called a ‘section’ in bookbinding, is a series of sheets that are folded together to be stitched into the book's binding. Each sheet has two pages per side; the number of pages in a signature must therefore be a multiple of four. Extra blank sides will be added if the file does not contain a multiple of four pages.

The output should be printed 2-up (this can be achieved with [**psnup**(1)](/psnup/1.md)) and duplex, as for short-edge binding. Alternatively, the output of **psnup** can be passed through the following command:

pstops '2:0(0,0),1U(1w,1h)'

to rotate the verso page upside-down, and the result can be printed duplex as for long-edge binding. Rearrange pages in a PDF or PostScript document into signatures.

- **INFILE**

  \`-' or no INFILE argument means standard input

- **OUTFILE**

  \`-' or no OUTFILE argument means standard output

## OPTIONS

- **-s** *SIGNATURE*, **--signature** *SIGNATURE*

  number of pages per signature; 0 = all pages in one signature \[default\]; 1 = do not rearrange the pages; otherwise, a multiple of 4

- **-v**, **--version**

  show program's version number and exit

- **-q**, **--quiet**

  don't show progress

## COMMENTS

PAGES is a comma-separated list of pages and page ranges; see [pstops(1)](/pstops/1.md) for more details.

## AUTHOR

```
Reuben Thomas <rrt@sc3d.org>
```