How to Set Mirrored Margins in LibreOffice Writer

Setting up mirrored margins in LibreOffice Writer is essential when formatting documents intended for double-sided printing and book binding. Unlike standard margins with fixed left and right widths, mirrored margins dynamically adjust so that the “inner” margin (the gutter edge where pages are bound) and the “outer” margin alternate between left and right pages. This step-by-step guide explains how to configure your document’s page style to enable mirrored margins and optimize spacing for bound books.

Step 1: Open the Page Style Settings

  1. Open your document in LibreOffice Writer.
  2. Go to the top menu and select Format > Page Style… (alternatively, right-click anywhere on the page and choose Page Style).
  3. If you are using custom page styles, open the Styles deck in the right sidebar (press F11), switch to the Page Styles tab, right-click your active style (such as Default Page Style), and select Modify….

Step 2: Set the Layout to Mirrored

  1. In the Page Style dialog box, click on the Page tab.
  2. Locate the Layout Settings section in the lower half of the window.
  3. Find the Page layout dropdown menu.
  4. Change the selection from Right and left to Mirrored.

Step 3: Configure Inner and Outer Margins

Once Mirrored is selected, the margin labels in the Margins section will automatically change from Left and Right to Inner and Outer.

  1. Inner Margin: Increase the inner margin value to account for the book’s binding (also known as the gutter). Depending on the binding method (e.g., spiral, perfect binding, or hardcover), this is typically set between 0.75 inches (1.9 cm) and 1.0 inch (2.54 cm).
  2. Outer Margin: Set the outer margin to your preferred spacing for the outside edge of the text block (commonly 0.5 inches to 0.75 inches).
  3. Top and Bottom Margins: Adjust the top and bottom values according to your layout requirements.

Step 4: Apply and Verify the Layout

  1. Click Apply, then click OK to save the changes.
  2. Switch to Book View or Multiple Pages View using the view buttons in the bottom-right corner of the status bar to verify that the inner margins appear wider on the left side of right-hand pages and on the right side of left-hand pages.