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How To Print A Booklet In 19 Easy Steps
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iNGREDIENTS
- Linux operating system* [Debian / Ubuntu]
- Browser [Firefox]
- A text available under an open license
- xpdf-utils (includes: pdftotext, pdftops, ps2pdf?)
- Texteditor [Gedit]
- Lay-out software [Scribus 1.3.3.1]
- Font [Bitstream Charter]
- psutils (includes: psnup, psbook)
- Printer
- Paper
- Stapler
- A piece of soft cardboard (side of a box for example)

1/ Choose any text that is available under an open license
2/ Download the text to your harddisk in .pdf format or copy the text into a text editor
3/ If you have downloaded a .pdf file, you need to convert the .pdf to a plain text file using the commandline:
~$ pdftotext infile.pdf
4/ Clean up the file as much as possible (remove unneccessary white  lines, check whether any other corrections need to be made) in a text  editor and save the document as .txt
5/ Open Scribus and start a new document with the following options selected: Size: A5, Number of pages: 48, Page Layout: double sided and Automatic Text Frames
6/ Import the .txt file in the Automatic Text Frame and do the necessary lay-out; add page numbers etc.
7/ Remove all empty pages so that you end up with a multiple of 4 pages  (either 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40, 44 or 48 pages).
8/ Save / export the document as .pdf with fonts embedded
9/ Using the commandline, convert the pdf file to postscript:
~$ pdftops -paper match infile.pdf outfile.ps


0/ Rearrange the pages so that when printed and folded, each page ends  up in the right place (when your booklet has 8 pages, page 1 should be  placed opposite of page 8, page 2 opposite of 7 and 4 opposite of 5). n is the amount of pages in your booklet.
~$ psbook -sn infile.ps outfile.ps
1/ Arrange two A5 pages next to each other on one A4 sheet (-2 refers to the amount of pages on the A4):
~$ psnup -2 -PA5 infile.ps outfile.ps
2/ Convert the document back to .pdf format (This seems a redundant step, but without it I had problems with placing, so…)
~$ ps2pdf infile.ps outfile.pdf
3/ Also use the commandline to print first the even pages (myprinter is the name of your printer, n is the amount of copies)
 ~$ lpr -P myprinter -o page-set=even -#1 infile.pdf
4/ When the even pages are printed, you need to re-arrange the order of the pages so that the first page comes last.
5/ Put the pages upside down back in the printer
6/ Now print the odd pages
~$ lpr -P myprinter -o page-set=odd -#1 infile.pdf
7/ Fold the pages from A4 to A5
8/ Fold the stack back open and place it on the piece of cardboard with  the cover facing you. Click open your stapler so you can staple the  stack in the middle
9/ Gently remove the stack (which is now stuck to the cardboard) and fold the staples back in.

FINISHED!