Make the copy
you meant to give.
Keep an editable original.
A PDF is the reading copy. The JSON draft is the source: it holds all eight pages of text and the two optional photographs. Save both before handing the magazine over.
The editable HTML download includes the editor itself. Open it with a desktop browser and it works offline. Mobile file-preview apps may only display the file; use a desktop browser for dependable editing. After changing it, download a new file. The browser cannot silently overwrite the original on disk.
A useful naming pattern is sam-birthday-draft-2026-10-16.json and sam-birthday-final.pdf. Put the source somewhere private and backed up. GoodIssue has no accounts or recovery copies.
A photograph, without a surprise crop.
The editor fits the complete picture inside its frame. A wide landscape photo leaves more space above and below; a portrait photo leaves more space at the sides. Crop your own copy first if you want a tighter composition. Keep the original separately.
The browser converts accepted JPEG, PNG or WebP files into JPEG copies, up to 1,800 pixels on the long edge. This strips the original metadata and reduces file size, but it cannot improve a small or blurred photograph. Transparent areas become white.
At 300 pixels per inch, a 1,800-pixel edge corresponds to six inches. That is a sizing reference, not a promise of print sharpness. A 600-pixel screenshot enlarged to the same size has only 100 pixels per inch. Use the original photograph when available and inspect a proof.
First, make eight single pages.
- Use Save / print → Check fit & print. If a page is too long, remove extra line breaks or shorten the indicated text. Do not shrink the entire magazine to rescue one paragraph.
- Choose Save as PDF in the browser dialog. The intended page is A5 portrait, 148 × 210 mm. Use 100% scale, no browser headers or footers, and background graphics on.
- Check that the preview contains exactly eight pages and that names, captions and signatures stay inside the margins. Browser and printer settings can override CSS; the preview is the final check.
- Save the PDF in ordinary reading order. Do not rearrange pages by hand. For a digital gift, this is the version to share.
Then, choose flat pages or a fold.
Loose or clipped pages: print one A5 page per sheet, or fit each full page to your available paper. A4 or Letter at “fit” may change the finished size. Avoid mixing scales between pages.
A folded booklet: eight magazine pages require two sheets printed on both sides, with two page panels per side. Open the saved PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader and select Booklet. Its booklet option arranges the pages; GoodIssue exports reading order, not imposed printer sheets.
A4 folds to A5. Letter is a different proportion and will produce a different finished size after fitting. Use left binding for this English edition. Automatic two-sided printing and manual front/back passes need different driver settings, so mark a test sheet's leading edge and follow the Reader and printer instructions. Do not assume that “flip on long edge” works for every driver.
The sample uses eight pages because folded booklets group pages in fours. Proof all four sides on ordinary paper before using the final stock. This template is for home printing; it does not supply a commercial press's bleed, crop marks or CMYK profile.
The outer sheet is your compass.
Keep your saved PDF in reading order, 1 through 8. The following is a way to recognise an eight-page, left-bound booklet in the print preview and on a folded proof. It is not a request to rearrange your PDF or an extra file to print.
Outer sheet · outside
8Back cover1Front cover
Outer sheet · inside
2Opening letter7Good wishes
Inner sheet · outside
6Photograph3A memory
Inner sheet · centre
4Three questions5Small favourites
Each diagram shows one side held upright, with the top of the text at the top. It does not tell you which edge of the sheet to feed into your printer. That depends on the printer and duplex settings. The page pairs are an ordering check; a physical proof is still the orientation check.
Make the first proof disposable
In the booklet preview, find the front cover beside the back cover: 8 on the left, 1 on the right. Print the two sheets on ordinary paper. Mark the outer sheet lightly in a blank margin so you can recognise it while folding. Fold each sheet once, put the inner sheet inside the outer one, then read every page from the cover. The centre opening should show the questions beside the small favourites, pages 4 and 5.
Open the proof flat again and compare the four pairs above. Every page number should occur exactly once. This separates an ordering problem from an orientation or paper-feed problem before you spend time changing the magazine.
- The pairs are right, but the back is upside down.
- Keep the PDF and its page order. Revisit the driver’s two-sided orientation or the direction used for a manual second pass. Test the outer sheet again. Changing the magazine’s text will not fix the paper’s rotation.
- You see four tiny magazine pages on one side.
- Look for an additional “pages per sheet” or booklet setting in the printer driver. Check whether both Acrobat and the driver are arranging the same pages. Return to one deliberate booklet arrangement and inspect the preview before another test.
- The cover is correct, but a middle page is missing.
- Check that the original PDF has eight pages and that the print range includes all of them. Then distinguish a missing printed side from a sheet nested the wrong way round. Reprinting everything is premature until you know which one happened.
- The order is right, but a signature crosses the fold.
- Check fit and scale, then shorten or reflow the affected page in the editor. Do not fix one crowded page by shrinking every page independently; inconsistent sizes make the finished booklet harder to read.
Once the cheap proof reads correctly, note the exact printer, paper size, booklet binding and duplex option beside the saved PDF. That is your successful setup for this printer, not a universal recipe. Change the printer or paper and make another proof.
The page map is an original explanation of this eight-page edition. Adobe’s booklet instructions explain the application settings. These diagrams have not been tested on your printer.
Look at the gift, not only the preview.
Print one proof. Fold it, read it in order and check whether the inner margins feel comfortable. Check the dark type, skin tones and small captions in normal room light. A home printer may add an unprinted border even when the PDF background reaches the edge.
Use paper your printer supports. Thicker sheets may need a manual feed or may not duplex. For the first proof, ordinary copy paper is enough to find upside-down backs, missing pages and an awkward fold. A paper upgrade cannot fix those problems.
Read every name aloud and verify every date. Replace any remaining sample person, contributor or photograph instruction before giving the copy away. Let another person check the final PDF when the surprise allows it.
Choose what the recipient receives.
Private gift: share the final PDF directly with the intended person through a service you trust. The editable HTML and JSON contain the complete text and photographs; anyone who receives them can extract or change that material. Neither file is encrypted.
Your own public template: use fictional, non-sensitive material and permission-cleared pictures. Check the published page while signed out; the private editor view is not proof that visitors can open it. WebTraceCheck is an optional separate-session browser for that public-link check. Your regular browser's private window can also help.
If you offer your own template through your own email signup, test the form and delivery using non-sensitive sample details. CleanTempMail can provide a temporary test inbox for that disposable test. Use a durable address for real contributor correspondence, important accounts and recovery.
GoodIssue, WebTraceCheck and CleanTempMail share the same operator. These optional publishing checks are separate from making a private birthday gift. No personal edition data is included in these links.
Booklet instructions reference Adobe's official Reader guidance. Actual paper, printer output and mobile file handling vary; make a physical proof. This site does not send email or publish your edition.