Word 2016 displays some annoying behaviour during a task which I often perform and I would much like to know if it is solved in later versions.
It occurrs when making a 'booklet' with 2 pages side-by-side on a sheet of paper (or 4 pages, to be exact, as the print is double sided of course). With 'booklet' I mean the paper is folded and stapled in the middle, which requires the pages to be 'reshuffled'.


The option to do this was, I think, new in word 2016 but is seems added like an afterthought. For starters: when setting paper margins, I have to switch them left-right, setting the value for 'inner margin' to the size of the outer margin and vice-versa. But much more annoying is that the display is not adapted: there seems to be no way I can get the whole spread of for instance pages 2 and 3 on the screen, so I never get a good view of what it's gonna look like when printed. Temporarily inserting a blank page at the start proves cumbersome and error prone.
Does Word 2021 handle this better?

I have Word 365, and there are a handful of templates available for "booklet" which might be a starting point for you. That might even be accessible to you in your current version. Try File/New, and search the Office templates for "Booklet". The ones I'm seeing are page numbered, so 2 and 3 are side by side, 4 and 1, and table of contents and page 5.

I can easily see pages 2 and 3 on the screen. You've tried this?

Create a booklet or book in Word

I'm on the View ribbon, and "Side to Side" is an option, as is "Multiple Pages."

Best regards,

Ann

Forgot to add, you might want to look at Microsoft Publisher if it comes with your Office package. I haven't used it nearly as much, but just pulled up a blank 8 1/2" x 11" booklet style, and it was pretty intuitive to change to booklet layout. Also the page numbers will allow you to work in a linear order, then print in the non-linear form that will allow you to construct your booklet.

Bookfold printing in Word has been available for well over a decade.
You could, of course, use the gutter margin and leave the others alone...

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]