How to Create a Booklet in Word 2008

Construct a Dummy
1. Take a number of blank sheets of 8.5-by-11-inch paper that equal half the physical pages in your booklet, hold them together lengthwise and fold in half to simulate the physical booklet. Verify the number of pages is correct.
2. Note on each page with the pencil, the content you plan to place there, such as 'Cover,' 'Table of Contents' and 'Back Cover,' then add page numbers to the appropriate pages.
3. Unfold the papers and lay them out on the floor in the order you had them folded, starting with the cover page facing up. This is your roadmap for creating the booklet in Word. The first page of your Word document will be the cover page, followed by the contents you have marked on the opposite side of that piece of paper.
Type the Booklet in Word
4. Open the Word program and select 'Publishing Layout' from the View menu.
5. Click the 'Master Page' tab in the bottom right of the screen. This allows you to make some universal settings that apply to all pages in the booklet before you add individual page content.
6. Select 'Page Setup' from the 'File' menu and change your page orientation from portrait to landscape (11x8.5 rather than 8.5x 11).
7. Select 'Document' from the 'Format' menu and set your margins to at least .75 inches.
8. Click the 'View' menu and verify that 'Ruler' is checked off, so it's showing on the screen. If it isn't, select 'Ruler' to turn it on.
9. Click and hold the mouse in the blue area above the vertical ruler on the left side of the screen and drag to the right to pull a vertical guide over to the 5.5 inch mark on the horizontal ruler. This is your center fold.
10. Add two more guides at 4.75 and 6.25 inches to serve as your center margin and gutter area for the binding.
11. Click the 'All Contents' tab in the bottom-right to exit the Master Page.
12. Click the 'Text Box' command icon at the top of the screen, then click and drag on your page to add blocks of text to the booklet. Use the 'Arrow' tool next to the text box command to click and drag the text boxes into different positions as you work.
13. Select 'New Page' from the 'Insert' menu to add more pages to your booklet. Because of the Master Page settings, the center guides will appear on all new pages.
14. Select 'Picture' from the 'Insert' menu to add graphics to your booklet.
15. Select 'Save' from the 'File' menu to save changes as you work.
Print the Booklet
16. Select 'Print' from the 'File' menu.
17. Look in your print dialog box for an option dealing with 'Paper Handling.' If you have an option for double-sided or duplex printing under handling, check that off and click the 'Print' button to send the booklet document to your printer.
18. Print the odd pages first; if you have no option for double-sided printing, then place the printed pages back in the paper tray with the first page on top facing up and print just the even pages. The printer will use the printed pieces of paper from the top of the tray and you'll have manually produced a double-sided document.