How to merge PDF files into one document

Combining reports, scanned pages, or chapters into a single PDF makes a document easier to send, print, and read in order.

1. Gather the files you want to combine

Collect every PDF you plan to merge in one folder first. Open each one briefly to confirm it is the right version and that pages are the right way up, since a merge tool combines files exactly as given.

2. Add them in the order you want

Add your files to Featherpress in the order they should appear in the final document. If you add them out of order, remove a file and re-add it rather than trying to fix the order after merging.

3. Merge and review the result

Combine the files and open the merged PDF before sending it anywhere. Scroll through every page to confirm nothing was duplicated, skipped, or rotated incorrectly.

4. Keep the file size in mind

A merged PDF is roughly the sum of its parts, so combining several image-heavy scans can produce a large file. If the result is too big for email or an upload limit, compress the merged PDF afterward rather than compressing each file beforehand.

When merging isn't the right tool

If you only need a few pages from a longer document rather than the whole thing, it's usually faster to extract those pages first and then merge, instead of merging everything and deleting pages afterward.

Before you send it

Check that the page order reads correctly from start to finish, that no page is missing, and that any cover page or table of contents still matches the final page numbers.