A Python script that merges multiple small PDF pages onto larger paper formats, optimizing paper usage by arranging pages in grids.

This tool automatically detects the input PDF page size and arranges multiple pages onto a single larger sheet. Common use cases include:

• Merging 4 A6 pages into one A4 page (2×2 grid)
• Merging 2 A5 pages into one A4 page (side-by-side)
• Merging 16 A8 pages into one A4 page (4×4 grid)

pip install PyPDF2

python merge_pdf_to_one_page.py input.pdf

This will:

• Automatically detect the page size
• Determine the optimal output format (A4 or A3)
• Create input_out.pdf with merged pages

python merge_pdf_to_one_page.py input.pdf [OPTIONS]

Options:

• -o, --out OUTPUT: Specify output file path (default: input_out.pdf)
• -s, --size SIZE: Override output paper size (A4 or A3)
• -f, --fill: Fill page by duplicating a single-page PDF to all grid positions
• -r, --rotate: Change orientation (portrait/landscape)
• --open: Automatically open the PDF after merging (uses evince on Linux)

Merge 4 A6 pages to A4:

python merge_pdf_to_one_page.py document.pdf

Fill A4 page with one A6 page (duplicate 4 times):

python merge_pdf_to_one_page.py single_page.pdf -f

Force A3 output:

python merge_pdf_to_one_page.py input.pdf -s A3

Custom output file and auto-open:

python merge_pdf_to_one_page.py input.pdf -o merged.pdf --open

The script automatically detects the input page size and selects the appropriate conversion:

Small conversions (2 pages):

• A5 → A4: Two A5 pages side-by-side on landscape A4
• A4 → A3: Two A4 pages side-by-side on landscape A3

Medium conversions (4 pages):

• A6 → A4: Four A6 pages in 2×2 grid on portrait A4
• A5 → A3: Four A5 pages in 2×2 grid on portrait A3

Large conversions (8 pages):

• A7 → A4: Eight A7 pages in 4×2 grid on landscape A4
• A6 → A3: Eight A6 pages in 4×2 grid on landscape A3

Very large conversions (16+ pages):

• A8 → A4: Sixteen A8 pages in 4×4 grid on portrait A4
• A7 → A3: Sixteen A7 pages in 4×4 grid on portrait A3
• A8 → A3: Thirty-two A8 pages in 8×4 grid on landscape A3

The fill mode is designed for single-page PDFs. It duplicates the page to fill all available positions on the output sheet.

Use cases:

• Creating multiple copies of a label or sticker on one sheet
• Duplicating a small design across a larger page
• Testing print layouts

Example:

# Single A6 page → Fill A4 with 4 copies python merge_pdf_to_one_page.py label.pdf -f # Single A8 page → Fill A4 with 16 copies python merge_pdf_to_one_page.py small_sticker.pdf -s A4 -f

Note: Fill mode only works with single-page PDFs. If you provide a multi-page PDF with -f, the script will show a warning and process it normally.

1. Page Detection: Reads the first page dimensions and validates all pages match
2. Ratio Calculation: Calculates diagonal ratio between input and output sizes
3. Grid Selection: Chooses appropriate grid layout based on the ratio
4. Positioning: Places pages from top-left, filling left-to-right, top-to-bottom
5. Output: Writes merged pages to the output PDF

• Consistent page sizes: All pages in the input PDF must have the same dimensions
• Supported sizes: A4, A5, A6, A7, or A8 (standard or near-standard dimensions)
• Valid PDF: File must be readable by PyPDF2

The script will report errors for:

• File not found
• Invalid PDF format
• Inconsistent page dimensions within the PDF
• Unsupported page size ratios

• Pages are positioned starting from the top-left corner
• The script uses the mergeTranslatedPage() method for reliable page positioning
• Dimensions are rounded (not ceiling) to prevent overflow issues
• The -r (rotate) flag can adjust orientation for specific conversions

Paper Size Constants:

• A3: 842 × 1190 points
• A4: 595 × 842 points

Standard A-series dimensions (mm):

• A3: 297 × 420
• A4: 210 × 297
• A5: 148 × 210
• A6: 105 × 148
• A7: 74 × 105
• A8: 52 × 74

# You have a PDF with 8 A6 pages and want to print on A4 paper python merge_pdf_to_one_page.py my_document.pdf # Output: # Merge PDF... # pageWidth: 298, pageHeight: 420, pageDiagonal: 514.98 # newWidth: 595, newHeight: 842, newDiagonal: 1031 # ........................................ # Number of pages to merge: 8 # Input file: my_document.pdf, size: A4 # A6 -> A4 or A5 -> A3, 2 pages # ........................................ # 1_part # 2_part # 3_part # 4_part # 5_part # 6_part # 7_part # 8_part # ........................................ # my_document_out.pdf is written # Result: 2 A4 pages, each containing 4 A6 pages in a 2×2 grid

This script is provided as-is for PDF manipulation tasks.