Creep compensation shifts the content of the inner sheets toward the fold, so that after a thick booklet is folded and trimmed, the margins on inner and outer pages match. You choose the amount; the tool applies it evenly from the outer sheet to the innermost one. Load a PDF below; the creep helper is already open.

How the shift is applied

Total creep is set in millimeters (or inches). The outer sheet doesn’t move, the innermost sheet moves by the full total, and each sheet in between moves proportionally. A booklet with a single sheet has nothing to compensate. Bleed and gutter are separate settings: bleed tells the tool how far your artwork extends past the page edge, and gutter adds the same space on the fold side of every page.

The shift happens after your pages are placed on the sheet, so their size and centering don’t change. Content never crosses the fold onto the neighboring page.

Gutter is a band either side of the fold on every sheet; creep shifts content on inner sheets toward the fold.

What it fixes, and what it doesn’t

People usually look for creep compensation when a trimmed booklet shows the page numbers on the inner pages closer to the edge than on the cover. Raising total creep moves inner content toward the staples so the margins even out. It won’t fix a file that was already imposed elsewhere, a printer set to “fit to page”, or a back side that prints upside down.

The export keeps text and vector graphics sharp, adds no watermark, and needs no account. Links and form fields are not kept. To estimate a starting value from your paper weight, use the booklet creep calculator; for the difference between the two margins, see gutter vs creep.

Test the print path before tuning creep

Creep is a trim-margin adjustment, not a duplex-orientation fix. Before changing the number, print one imposed sheet at Actual size/100% with booklet mode off.

Mark the top edge of the test sheet and print one duplex sheet.
For the normal landscape, two-pages-per-side booklet sheet, choose Flip on short edge first.
View the reverse with the marked top still at the top. If it is upside down, rerun the same test with Flip on long edge.
If the reverse is upright but the page size changed, disable Fit/Shrink/Scale-to-fit and repeat at 100%.
Only after orientation and scale pass should you judge the inner-versus-outer trim margins and adjust total creep.

This separates three different problems: short/long-edge flipping controls back-side orientation; printer scaling changes the size; creep changes the toward-spine position of nested sheets.

Creep compensation FAQ

How do I know whether I need creep compensation?

Fold and trim a proof first. If the inner sheets’ margins move toward the outside edge as they nest, the paper stack is wrapping around the fold and may need a small toward-spine correction. Judge the trimmed proof, not the untrimmed preview. Thin copy paper may show little visible creep; thicker stock and more sheets make it easier to see.

Is creep the same as gutter?

No. Gutter reserves space along the spine edge of each page. Creep shifts nested sheets toward the spine so the folded and trimmed margins line up more closely. Increase neither one to solve a duplex sheet that prints upside down, and do not use creep to repair a file that was already imposed or scaled by the printer.

What if the center spread looks right but the cover is wrong?

Compare several nested sheets after folding and trimming. Creep is progressive, so the outer and inner sheets can differ even when the center looks acceptable. Change the total creep in a small step, export again, and proof on the same paper and printer. Keep paper size, duplex edge, and scale unchanged while comparing proofs.

Can creep compensation fix a short-edge flip or a printer scaling problem?

No. First correct duplex orientation with the marked-sheet test and restore Actual size/100%. Then evaluate trim margins and tune creep. For page mapping and fold order, see saddle stitch imposition.

Apply a measured correction to your PDF

Upload your PDF and preview the imposed sheets, then make a one-sheet proof before adjusting total creep. Keep the printer at Actual size/100%, use the duplex edge that passed the test, and compare folds on the same stock you plan to bind.

For the complete page-mapping workflow, read saddle stitch imposition. For a small-run folded zine, see zine printing imposition. Use the 16-page booklet example to inspect nested sheets, and finish with how to print a booklet.

PDF Booklet Creep Compensation