| name | optimize-for-binding |
| description | Adjust a PDF's layout for binding — add a gutter (inner margin), mirror margins for duplex printing so the binding edge is consistent, and optionally shift content outward. Triggers on phrases like "prep for binding", "add gutter", "mirror margins for duplex", "binding-friendly layout". |
Optimize PDF for Binding
Shift content to leave room for a binding gutter without cropping. Supports single-sided (uniform shift) or double-sided (mirror left/right shift) layout.
Inputs
- Input PDF path (required).
- Gutter (required) — extra inner margin in mm (typical: 10–15mm for spiral/comb, 15–20mm for perfect bound).
- Duplex (optional, default
true) — if true, mirror the shift: odd pages shift right, even pages shift left. If false, all pages shift right (single-sided).
- Output path (optional) — defaults to
<input>-bound.pdf.
Tooling
pdfjam (from texlive-extra-utils) handles gutter/binding offsets cleanly. Ghostscript can also do it via pdfwrite with a translation matrix, but pdfjam is more readable.
pdfjam recipe — duplex mirror
pdfjam --offset "10mm 0mm" --twoside --outfile output.pdf input.pdf
--twoside automatically mirrors odd/even page offsets. --offset "X Y" shifts content (positive X = right).
Single-sided uniform shift
pdfjam --offset "10mm 0mm" --outfile output.pdf input.pdf
Caveats
- Shifting content can push the outer edge into the printer's unprintable margin. Always run
verify-bleed-safe after this skill to confirm content still fits within the printable area.
- For docs already laid out with a gutter (e.g. typeset books), don't double-up — ask the user first.
- For perfect-bound thick books, gutter should increase with page count (creep allowance). Out of scope for v1; flag to user if doc is >100 pages.
Workflow
- Confirm
pdfjam is installed (command -v pdfjam); if not, sudo apt install texlive-extra-utils.
- Run the offset.
- Suggest running
verify-bleed-safe next.
Output
Bound-ready PDF. Original preserved.
