The PDF N-Up: Multiple Pages Per Sheet tool places 2 or 4 source PDF pages onto each output sheet, using the first source page's dimensions as the page box, and produces a downloadable file locally in your browser without uploading anything. The tool then distributes your pages onto the new sheets in a 2×1 grid (two-up) or a 2×2 grid (four-up). Each cell gets an 18-point outer margin and a 12-point gap from neighboring cells, and every source page is scaled proportionally by the smaller of the available width or height fit so nothing is stretched. Pages are placed left to right and then top to bottom, matching normal reading order. If the source page count does not fill the final sheet, the remaining cells stay empty. The output filename includes the chosen arrangement, so a file called report.pdf becomes report-2-up.pdf or report-4-up.pdf, and the resulting document reports the source page count, output sheet count, and approximate encoded size. The whole job runs on the button press and completes locally, with the control disabled while it works to prevent duplicate runs.
2-Up and 4-Up Layouts in This Tool
"N-up" is the term print and PDF tools use for placing multiple source pages onto a single output sheet. The "N" is the number of source pages per sheet, so 2-up means two source pages per output sheet and 4-up means four. The PDF N-Up: Multiple Pages Per Sheet tool implements two of the most common arrangements: two columns and one row for 2-up, and two columns and two rows for 4-up. There are no hidden paper-size presets to choose between; the output sheet width and height are taken directly from the first page of your source document, so the layout reflects whatever page box your PDF already uses. This deterministic rule keeps the output predictable: every run on the same source produces the same sheet sizes, regardless of which browser or device you use.
If you want a wider output paper, the typical preparation is to resize the first page of your source beforehand. The Resize PDF tool scales every page to a chosen standard such as A4, US Letter, or Legal, and that rescaled first page then becomes the template for the N-up output. For a folded booklet layout with two source pages on each side of a signature, the workflow is different — the Booklet PDF tool is designed for that case instead.
How to Use the Local PDF N-Up Tool
- Choose a non-empty PDF no larger than 25 MiB from your device.
- Select two source pages per sheet (2-up) or four source pages per sheet (4-up).
- Select Create N-Up PDF, check the source-to-sheet count in the result line, and download the new PDF.
The browser loads the file, walks the source pages, derives the output sheet dimensions from page one, and embeds each source page into the chosen grid. The control remains disabled during the operation so a second click cannot queue a duplicate build. If you change the source file or switch between 2-up and 4-up, the previous result is invalidated and its temporary URL is revoked — only the latest arrangement is available to download. This means you can iterate quickly: re-pick the file, change the layout, and the tool regenerates from scratch. A job identifier prevents a slower earlier file read from overwriting a newer selection, so the panel always reflects the file you most recently picked.
How Source Pages Are Sized and Placed
Each source page is placed through the PDF library's drawPage method, which embeds the original page as a reusable form inside the new PDF. The embed keeps vector shapes and text as PDF content rather than rasterizing them, so the output stays crisp at any zoom level. Within its cell, the source page is scaled by the smaller of two fit factors: the scale that would fill the cell horizontally and the scale that would fill the cell vertically. The smaller of the two wins, which means the page fits inside the cell with no cropping and no stretching. The result is then centered both horizontally and vertically within the cell.
Because the fit is the smaller of the two factors, tall pages leave space on the sides and wide pages leave space above and below — never the other way around. The layout uses fixed values for margins and gaps, summarized in the table below.
| Layout parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Output sheet width and height | First source page's dimensions |
| Outer margin on every edge | 18 points |
| Gap between cells | 12 points |
| 2-up grid | 2 columns × 1 row |
| 4-up grid | 2 columns × 2 rows |
| Page placement order | Left to right, then top to bottom |
| Scale factor per page | Smaller of horizontal and vertical fit |
These values are fixed by the tool rather than user-tunable, which keeps the layout consistent across runs. The underlying pdf-lib drawPage API and embedPage reference document how these placement calls are made under the hood.
Mixed Page Sizes and Reading Order
Many real PDFs are not uniform — a deck might mix 16:9 title slides with portrait content slides, or a report could combine A4 body pages with a landscape chart. Because the fit calculation is applied separately to every page, the tool handles mixed page sizes without any special options. A wide page on a 2-up sheet sits in its cell centered with vertical space; a tall page on the same sheet sits centered with horizontal space. The grid still places pages in left-to-right, then top-to-bottom reading order, so the order of pages in the source document maps directly to the order they appear on the output sheets.
When the source page count does not divide evenly — say, five pages going into 4-up mode — the tool fills the first sheet with four pages and starts the second sheet with the fifth page in the first cell. The remaining cells on the second sheet are left empty. The result panel reports both the source page count and the output sheet count so you can sanity-check the math before downloading. If you renumber pages later, the Add Page Numbers to PDF tool can stamp fresh numbers onto the output sheets without starting over.
File Limits, Errors, and Output Details
The source file is bounded at 25 MiB and 500 pages. These limits exist for predictable browser-side work: a larger file could exhaust memory, and processing a much longer document would tie up the page for too long. Empty, mislabeled, encrypted, damaged, oversized, over-limit, or unsupported documents produce a visible error and are not bypassed or rewritten. For example, a 30 MiB source will be rejected with a size message rather than silently truncated, and a password-protected PDF will not be unlocked or rasterized for you. If you need to remove a password first, the Remove PDF Password tool can produce a local unsecured copy using a password you already know.
The output filename appends the chosen arrangement, so report.pdf becomes report-2-up.pdf or report-4-up.pdf. The source PDF is not modified — the original file on your device stays as it was. The tool also does not rasterize ordinary PDF pages; pages are embedded as PDF content so vector shapes and text are preserved as PDF content while the page is placed as a reusable form. The focused N-up tool does not impose pages for duplex booklet signatures, add crop marks, rotate pages automatically, reorder source pages, print directly, remove annotations, flatten forms, or preserve interactive links as newly positioned clickable regions. It also does not guarantee a specific commercial printer workflow. Use it for review sheets, handouts, compact archives, and simple paper-saving layouts where two-up or four-up placement on the first source page box is the intended result.
When 2-Up or 4-Up Fits the Job
| Arrangement | Grid | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 2-up | 2 columns × 1 row | Side-by-side comparison pages, two-page spreads, dual-language handouts |
| 4-up | 2 columns × 2 rows | Slide thumbnails, document review sheets, compact archives, paper-saving handouts |
Both arrangements use the fixed 18-point outer margin and 12-point cell gap, and both center each source page within its cell. If you need to count pages first to decide which arrangement to use, the PDF Page Counter tool reads the page count without modifying the file. For people who want to print the result on a smaller physical sheet, the layout choice mostly affects readability: 2-up leaves more room per page and works well when the source pages need to stay legible, while 4-up is more compact and is usually the better pick when the goal is to skim many pages at once. Once the file is built, you can also flip or rotate pages, drop annotations, or extract specific sheets with the other local PDF tools without re-running the N-up step.