Yes — printing a PDF as a booklet arranges pages so that when you fold the printed sheets, they read in the correct order. A 16-page PDF printed as a booklet on 4 sheets of paper, folded and stapled in the middle, produces a small booklet where page 1 follows the cover and the pages run in sequence. The printer dialog or PDF viewer handles the page reordering automatically.
How Booklet Printing Works
A booklet printed on standard paper uses a technique called imposition — rearranging pages so that when sheets are folded and nested together, they read in the correct sequence. For a simple saddle-stitched (folded and stapled) booklet on letter paper, two PDF pages print side by side on each side of a sheet. The outside cover sheet holds pages 1 and 4 (for a 4-page booklet); inside sheets hold sequential middle pages. The print driver handles this calculation automatically.
Booklet printing works best with page counts that are multiples of 4 (4, 8, 12, 16, 20...) because each sheet contributes 4 pages to the booklet. For a document with a non-multiple-of-4 page count, the printer adds blank pages to complete the last sheet.
Booklet Printing in Adobe Reader
Adobe Reader has a dedicated booklet printing option. In the Print dialog, go to "Page Sizing & Handling" and select "Booklet." Options appear for binding side (left for left-to-right languages, right for right-to-left), booklet subset (whether to print front sides, back sides, or both for two-pass duplex printing), and paper size. Click Print and the pages are automatically rearranged in the correct imposition order.
Booklet Printing in Other Viewers
Not all PDF viewers include booklet printing. Preview on Mac doesn't have a built-in booklet option. Chrome's print dialog doesn't support it. If your viewer doesn't have booklet printing, two alternatives: use Adobe Reader specifically for booklet printing (it's free), or use a PDF tool to create a booklet-imposed PDF first, then print normally.
BookletCreator (free online tool) and similar utilities rearrange PDF pages in booklet order and produce a new PDF where the pages are physically in the order they'll print. This new PDF can then be printed normally from any viewer with duplex support, without needing the viewer to understand booklet printing.
Duplex (Two-Sided) Printing for Booklets
Booklets need both sides of each sheet printed. If your printer supports automatic duplex, enable it and set the binding to "Short Edge" (also called "Flip on Short Edge") for booklet printing — this is the correct setting for landscape-oriented sheets that will be folded into portrait booklets. Long-edge duplex (standard for normal portrait documents) would print the back sides upside down.
For printers without automatic duplex: print all odd pages first (front sides), then reload the paper and print even pages (back sides). Adobe Reader's booklet option includes "Booklet subset" settings that let you print one side at a time. Stack the printed sheets carefully after each pass — the reload order is typically reversed from the print order, but this varies by printer.
For Professional Booklets: Preparing the PDF
For booklets sent to a commercial printer rather than printed at home, design the PDF as individual pages at the finished booklet size (typically A5 or half-letter), not as imposed printer sheets. The printer's software handles imposition on their end. Send individual page PDFs, not already-imposed sheets — printers prefer to do their own imposition with professional software to match their specific equipment. Run the PDF through a PDF Compression tool before sending if the file is over 50MB.