pdf-duplex-prep 0.1.1

Merge PDFs and split them into two files for manual duplex printing on simplex printers

pdf-duplex-prep

Merge multiple PDFs and split them into two print-ready files for manual duplex (double-sided) printing on simplex (one-sided) printers.

Each input PDF is guaranteed to start on an odd page. If needed, a blank page is automatically inserted so every document begins on the front of a fresh sheet.

Installation

pip install pdf-duplex-prep

Usage

# All PDFs in the current folder, sorted by name
pdf-duplex-prep --dir path/to/folder

# Explicit files in a specific order
pdf-duplex-prep doc1.pdf doc2.pdf doc3.pdf

Output

Two files are written to the input folder:

File	Contents
print_1_odd.pdf	Pages 1, 3, 5, … — print this first
print_2_even.pdf	Even pages in reverse order — print this second

Printing instructions

1. Print print_1_odd.pdf (all odd sides)

2. Remove the stack from the output tray

3. Flip the stack:

   • Printer outputs face-down → flip along the short edge
   • Printer outputs face-up → flip along the long edge

   Run a test with 4 pages first to confirm your printer's behaviour.

4. Return the flipped stack to the input tray

5. Print print_2_even.pdf (all even sides)