How to Preview Print
Choose a print mode in the preview to see the pages of your print-ready PDF: your trim size, margins, headers and page numbers. Turn its pages, check its spreads, and draw guides on them.
How to choose a print mode
-
Click the device list at the top of the preview.
-
Choose a print mode, at the bottom of the list.
| Choose | It builds |
|---|---|
| Print - Single Section (Fast) | One section at a time, quickly. Every section starts at page 1, sections don’t start on a right-hand page, and the contents page and index show no page numbers. |
| Print - Whole Book (Slower) | Your whole book, so every page number is right, and so are the contents page, the index and right-hand starts. It takes longer on a long book. |
Use the fast mode while you adjust settings, and the whole book to check before you export your print-ready PDF. The first time you choose the fast mode, a note lists what it leaves out: click Got it.
How to turn pages
Hover the page and click the Previous page or Next page arrow, or use your mouse’s scroll wheel. Click a section in the sidebar to open its first page.
| Under the page | Shows |
|---|---|
| Trim: 5" × 8" | Your trim size. Click it to change it. |
| Page 4 of 5 | Where you are: in the section (fast mode) or in your book (whole book). |
How to see your book as spreads
See your book the way a reader holds it: two facing pages at a time.
-
In Print - Whole Book (Slower), click Open whole-book preview (the book button beside the page count).
-
Turn spreads with the arrows, your scroll wheel, or the ← → keys. Close it with the X or Esc.
Spreads are the place to check spread alignment, running heads, and where your sections open.
How to use the print preview settings
Click Print preview settings (the gear beside the device list) and turn on a switch to check your pages. None of them reach your exported PDF. The gear turns blue while one is on.
| Turn on | To |
|---|---|
| Uniform Margins | Give every page the same left and right margin. |
| Page Side Labels | Label each page Verso (Left) or Recto (Right). |
| Grayscale Mode | See colored text and images in gray, as a black-and-white printer prints them. |
How to use margin guidelines
Margin guidelines draw your page’s zones on every preview page, so you can see where your margins land. They never print.
-
Click Print preview settings (the gear beside the device list).
-
Turn on a guide under Margin Guidelines.
| Turn on | To draw |
|---|---|
| Safe Zone | Your printer’s safe area (dark gray). Keep everything inside it. |
| Content Zone | Your margins: the box your text sits in (magenta). |
| Header & Footer | The bands your page numbers and running heads sit in (blue). |
The Margin Guidelines button in the Print Page Margins panel turns on all three at once.
Questions
Why do my page numbers start over at every section?
You’re in Print - Single Section (Fast), which lays out one section at a time. Choose Print - Whole Book (Slower) to see your real page numbers; your exported PDF always has them.
Does the table of contents show page numbers?
Yes, in Print - Whole Book (Slower) and in your print-ready PDF. The fast mode can’t know where other sections land, so it shows none.
Why does my book look off-center on the page?
Print pages mirror their margins: the inside margin, by the spine, differs from the outside one, so the text sits to one side. Turn on Uniform Margins in Print preview settings to see every page with the same left and right margin.