ZineSmith MOBILE FRIENDLY

GREEN MACARONI · DIY BOOKLET BUILDER

Arrange your pages

Drop GridSmith JSON, images, or PDFs. Drag pages into reading order.

Files stay in your browser. Save a project to keep your work.

Page number designer

Leave this off if you have already designed numbers in GridSmith. Changes apply to the whole booklet and can be undone.

Insets are measured from the finished page edge. Side inset applies to left, right, inside, and outside placement.

Behind the number

The number stays centered inside its shape. Shapes grow together if needed to fit the widest number. Insets position the outside edge of the shape; use an outline width of 0 for no outline. Corner radius applies to squares. Opacity affects the fill and outline, keeping number text fully opaque.

When covers are not counted, the inside front cover gets the starting number. Hidden numbers still keep their place in the sequence.

Facing-page preview

Numbers also appear in Pages, Book, and Print Sheets. Black & White output converts your number color to grayscale.

Center Spread

LEFT PAGE
RIGHT PAGE
ONE IMAGE · TWO PAGES

Import one full-width image or a GridSmith spread JSON. Both halves stay linked at the center. Artwork is fitted without cropping.

Existing center pages are replaced together. Undo restores them.

Export your booklet

Large PDFs can take several minutes. Keep this tab open until export finishes.

Crop marks show where to trim. They print outside the artwork and bleed. Home printing needs larger paper or smaller finished pages to leave room for marks. Print at Actual size / 100%.

Create an editable template

The template includes your dimensions, bleed, mirrored margins, and layout grid. Guides do not print.

Your DIY printing guide

  1. Arrange pages in normal reading order, including covers. ZineSmith shows any extra blank pages needed for folding.
  2. Preview the book and printed sheets. Check image quality, margins, and the centerfold.
  3. Print the Duplex Test at Actual size / 100%. Check which flip setting makes both sides upright. For manual duplex, mark the paper and note how you reinsert it.
  4. Export Print and Fold at Home. Turn off the printer's own booklet mode; the PDF is already arranged. Use your tested duplex setting.
  5. Fold each sheet, nest the sheets with the cover outside, staple through the centerfold, and trim if your layout includes bleed.
  6. Make one complete paper proof before a print run. Check every page is upright and in reading order, the covers are outside, and the Center Spread meets at the fold. Confirm page numbers, ink detail, safe margins, and crop marks. Fold and staple the proof, then trim it if needed. Keep important artwork clear of the cut line.
  7. For Black & White output, also choose black ink only in the printer driver. Grayscale alone cannot control how a printer uses its cartridges.

Large projects & high-resolution artwork

ZineSmith uses lightweight previews and keeps your originals for export. Large projects are best handled on a desktop or laptop. Save your project regularly.

Full-quality PDF exports can take several minutes and temporarily make the app appear unresponsive. Keep the tab open while it finishes. Phones and tablets may handle fewer pages.

Design in GridSmith