Alternate & Mix PDFs: Fix a One-Sided Scan
Scanners that only see one side produce two stacks: every front page, then every back page. Interleaving merges them into the document a reader expects.
What this tool does
Interleaves the pages of two or more documents instead of stacking them one after the other. It is the tool for a duplex scan made on a single-sided scanner, where the fronts and the backs come away as two files with the second one in reverse.
How it works
Add the two files, set the step to 2 and reverse the second document, then mix. Preview the first few pages: if the fronts and backs still disagree, the second file needed reversing. For a booklet or a form printed two-up, Split in half is the better fit.
- Add the PDFs in the order you want them handled.
- Run the tool and download the result.
When to reach for it
- You scanned both sides on a one-sided scanner. The fronts and backs landed in two separate files.
- Two related documents belong on facing pages. Interleaving alternates them page by page instead of stacking one after the other.
Questions we get
What is Alternate & Mix for?
The classic two-pass scanning trick: scan all fronts into one PDF and all backs into another, then let the tool interleave them back into reading order. Each file can have its own step and reversed order.
Where it fits
The tools people usually open next to Alternate & Mix:
- Split in half — Split two page layout scans, A3 to double A4 or A4 to double A5.
- Merge PDF — Combine multiple PDFs and images into one document.
- Extract Pages — Get a new document containing only the desired pages.
Every tool works on a copy, so the original file is never modified. Uploads are stored under an unguessable id and deleted automatically two hours after you last open them; nothing is listed, shared or indexed. More on the security page.