Booklet Binding: Explained

There’s so much more to printing a booklet than putting ink on paper.

Of course, print quality is hugely important both for the look of your booklet and for your brand image but it’s equally important you choose a premium paper stock. There are also different types of binding and each one suits certain kinds of documents. There are three main binding methods commonly used and if you’re unsure about which to choose, don’t worry.

We’re often asked about booklet printing and we’ve answered some common questions in our guide below:

What is booklet printing?

The term booklet printing covers any document that has eight or more printed pages. Those pages need to be held or bound together and the most popular and effective types are:

- Saddle stitched (sometimes called stapled documents) - Perfect bound - Wiro / Wire-o bound (sometimes called spiral bound)

- Case bound

- Plastic comb

What is a booklet used for?

Booklets are used when you’ve more to say than you can on a flyer or folded leaflet. Businesses use printed booklets for company brochures, catalogues, magazines, hard backed or paperback books, company reports, reference books and presentation documents. The purpose of your book will determine the size of your document and the type of binding you use.

What is saddle stitched binding?

Saddle stitching is one of the most economical types of binding used for booklets of between eight and 48 pages. Spreads are folded, creased and then stapled (or “stitched”) together along the fold. Saddle stitched binding is often used for booklets, magazines, reports and brochures.

What is perfect binding?

Used for documents or books of up to 70 pages, perfect binding uses a flexible, strong PUR adhesive to glue a wrap around cover to the rear edge of the squared off pages. The adhesive is exceptionally strong and non-brittle so your pages won’t fall out. Perfect binding is commonly used for hard back or paperback books, thicker magazines, reports, brochures and catalogues. When closed, perfect bound documents lie completely flat and you can print on the spine so they’re perfect for display and stacking.

What is wire binding?

Wire or wiro bound documents lie completely flat when open making them ideal for reference books, presentation documents and reports of between four and 360 printed pages. Single leaves are stacked and hole punched at the back edge before wire is fed through the holes, binding the pages together.

What type of binding is best?

The best binding for your document will be determined by its size and purpose.