Using Adobe Acrobat to print the writing guide in booklet form:

Making a booklet (finished size 5 1/2" wide, 8 1/2" tall) is not difficult, but it does require some effort (and a brief trip to a photocopier). Here is how to do it:

  • First, if you do not have already Adobe Acrobat installed on your computer, you will need to do so. You can download it free.
  • Next, you use the Acrobat Reader to open the file containing the writing guide and use Acrobat's Print command to print the file on your own printer.
  • Next, you need to rearrange the pages slightly to print them in booklet form:

    The pages of the writing guide come out of your printer with the text printed sideways and with two pages per sheet (for a total of twelve 8 1/2" x 11" sheets). You will note that the pages do not appear to be arranged correctly--the first sheet contains pages 24 and 1 (they are not actually numbered), and the second sheet contains pages 2 and 23, the third contains 22 and 3, the fourth 4 and 21, etc. This is a rough idea of what the first four sheets look like:



    The pages are printed so that when the booklet is assembled, the pagination will be correct. To get the pages to appear in correct order, you need to reverse (top to bottom) every other sheet. Thus you will need to reverse sheets 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12. So the first four sheets should look like this:



  • Then take the 12 sheets to a copy machine. Feed them in the usual way--that is, the 8 1/2" side will be on top and the text of the writing guide will be sideways. Copy the sheets back to back (printing on both sides of the sheet), and they will come out arranged correctly: pages 24 and 1 will be on one side of the first sheet, with pages 2 and 23 on the back of the same sheet. Take all 12 sheets together and fold them in half and you will have a booklet. If you want to staple the booklet, you will need a stapler with a long reach (the History Department has one you can use).

If you do not wish to bother with the above procedure but still find a booklet-sized guide handy, you can simply cut the 8 /12" x 11" pages in half and arrange the half-sheets in numerical order.