Details on Printed Booklets and Binding Formats

Whether for business or personal use, booklets have long been and remain one of the most popular printed materials out there. Used for a variety of purposes, booklets can range in length and scope depending on your precise needs.

At Sun Print Solutions, we’re proud to offer offset printing services for all flat printing needs, including newspapers, books, magazines and booklets. In addition to organizing the areas to be printed and their various design details, creating a booklet also involves binding the pages together so the entire item remains whole as it’s distributed. Let’s go over some basics on booklets for those who aren’t familiar, plus detail your binding options and which is the best choice based on your needs.

Booklet Definition, Uses and Printing Factors

If you weren’t previously aware, booklets have a specific definition: Any document that has eight or more printed pages bound together is considered a booklet, at least until the page numbers grow enough to where it’s considered a book.

Booklets are used for several different formats, often in the business world for those looking to get across more information than can be contained in a smaller document like a brochure. They’re a common format for detailed company reports, for instance, or for reference documents during particularly projects or job types.

Booklet Binding Types

When it comes to binding your booklet together firmly and professionally, there are three common formats potentially used:

• Saddle stitching: This is a format that’s highly economical, and used for booklets with anywhere from eight to just under 50 pages. Spreads will first be folded and creased, and then will be stapled or stitched together along this fold area. The most common uses of saddle stitching are for report booklets, smaller magazines and similar areas.
• Wire binding: This is a format used for wire-bound documents, which are designed to lie completely flat when they are opened, with no crease or protrusion. Single leaves are stacked on top of each other, then hole punched at the back end. From here, a wire is fed through the holes to hold pages together. This format can be used for booklets ranging up to over 350 pages, and is often used for large reference documents or reports.
• Perfect binding: This is a format that uses a flexible adhesive glue to place a wrap-around cover on the edge of the squared-off pages. You often find perfect binding for hard-back or paperback books, plus for thicker magazines or reports.

Choosing the Best Binding Type

Which of the above binding types is best for your project? The answer really depends on the details and purpose. If flatness when open is a vital concern, you might consider wire binding. If you’re looking for the most affordable format, the saddle stitching format is usually the way to go.

For more on booklets, binding and any other offset printing, digital printing or direct mail needs, speak to the staff at Sun Print Solutions today.