How to Print Multiple Pages on One Sheet of Paper at Home

If you want to print multiple pages on one sheet, you do not need to resize anything in the document. Almost every print dialog has a setting called pages per sheet (printer drivers also call it Multiple Page, N-up or Page Layout) that shrinks two, four or more pages onto one side of the paper for that print job only. It is one of the quickest ways to cut paper use, and it is ideal for slides, drafts, notes and anything you only need to skim.

What pages per sheet does

The setting takes each page of your document, scales it down and places it in a grid on the sheet. Two pages per sheet turns the pages sideways and sets them side by side; four puts them in a two-by-two grid; higher numbers make smaller and smaller thumbnails. Microsoft’s Edge help describes it as a way to save paper, reduce printing costs and create compact versions of documents, and it lists the usual choices as 1, 2, 4, 6, 9 or 16 pages per sheet, depending on the printer and print options.

Your file does not change. Next time you print, the setting usually returns to one page per sheet.

Which layout to choose

Pages per sheet	Each page is roughly	Good for
2	Half a sheet	Articles, drafts, reading notes, recipes
4	A quarter of a sheet	Slides with large type, handouts, notes
6	A sixth of a sheet	Slide handouts to annotate
9 or 16	Thumbnails	Proofing page order, photo contact sheets

As a rule of thumb, body text at 11 or 12 points is still comfortable at two pages per sheet, readable with effort at four, and too small beyond that. Slides are designed with large type, so four or six per sheet usually works. If you are not sure, print to PDF first and check the size on screen at 100% zoom.

How to print multiple pages on one sheet in a browser

In Chrome and Edge:

1. Press Ctrl+P (Command+P on a Mac).
2. Open More settings.
3. Under Pages per sheet, choose 2, 4, 6, 9 or 16.
4. Check the preview, then select Print.

For long articles, combine this with reader view so ads and menus do not waste the smaller space; see how to print a web page without ads.

How to do it on a Mac

Apple puts the option in the Layout section of the print dialog:

1. Choose File, Print.
2. Open the Layout section (in some apps you may need to click Show Details or scroll down first).
3. Choose a number from the Pages per Sheet menu.
4. Use Layout Direction to set the order in which pages flow across the sheet.
5. Choose a Border if you want a line around each page, then print.

The Layout section is also where many Macs show two-sided printing, so you can set both in one place.

How to do it in a printer driver on Windows

Many Windows apps do not show pages per sheet in their own print screen, but the printer driver does. Open Printer Properties or Preferences from the print dialog and look on the basic or layout tab:

• Brother’s Windows driver calls it Multiple Page, with Page Order to choose how the pages are arranged and Border Line to choose a border.
• Epson’s older drivers put a Multi-Page checkbox on the Page Layout tab, with Pages Per Sheet set to 2 or 4.
• Canon and HP drivers have similar options, often labelled Page Layout or Pages per Sheet.

If both the app and the driver offer the option, use only one of them; using both can shrink pages twice.

Pages per sheet vs a booklet

These two settings look similar but do different jobs. Pages per sheet keeps your pages in normal reading order across the sheet. A booklet layout also puts two pages on each side, but it reorders them so that the folded, stapled sheets read in sequence. If you want something to fold and staple, use the booklet option instead; our guide to how to print a booklet explains the page order and the short-edge flip.

Combine with two-sided printing

Pages per sheet halves the paper; printing on both sides halves it again. Two pages per sheet on both sides puts four pages on each sheet of paper, a quarter of the paper a normal printout would use. Our guide to printing double-sided explains long-edge and short-edge flipping. Because pages per sheet turns pages sideways, the flip edge that looks right can change, so print a two-sheet test before a long job.

Settings that clash

• Borderless printing. Epson’s reference guide notes that pages per sheet is not available when Borderless is selected, and other makers have similar limits. Turn borderless off for multi-page layouts.
• Scaling. Fit to page or a custom scale on top of pages per sheet can shrink pages further or misplace them. Leave scaling at the default while using it; see fit to page vs actual size.
• Posters. Poster or tiling mode does the opposite, spreading one page over several sheets, and cannot be combined with pages per sheet. See how to print a poster on multiple pages.

How much does it save?

The paper saving is easy to work out: two pages per sheet uses half the sheets, four uses a quarter. Ink and toner use does not fall in the same proportion, because the same text is still printed, just smaller, but large margins and blank space are removed, so it often falls a little too. For a fuller picture of running costs, see our guide to printer cost per page, and for other quick savings our eco-friendly printing guide.

A quick test before a long job

Before printing a 40-slide deck or a long report at four pages per sheet, print just the first sheet. Check three things: that the smallest text is still readable, that the pages run in the order you expect (left to right, then down, unless you changed the layout direction), and that nothing is cut off at the edges. If you plan to print on both sides, print the first two sheets and hold them to the light to confirm the backs line up the right way.

When not to use it

Print at one page per sheet when someone has to fill in a form, when measurements matter (patterns, templates, labels), when a document will be scanned or copied again, or when the reader has trouble with small print. For anything official, such as a tax form or a signed contract, print it at full size so it looks as the sender intended.