Saddle Stitched Books

• Material type: Folded and stapled booklet with printed cover and inner pages
• Standard sizes: A6, A5, A4 and square options
• Custom sizing: Available on request
• Orientation: Portrait, landscape or square, depending on selected size
• Cover material: Silk, gloss, uncoated or recycled paper options
• Inner pages: Silk, gloss, uncoated or recycled paper options
• Print options: Full colour or black only
• Cover finish: None, matt, gloss or soft-touch lamination
• Special finishes: Gold foil, silver foil or Spot UV available on selected cover designs
• Page count: 8 to 68 pages including cover
• Page setup: Pages must be supplied in multiples of 4
• Suitability: Indoor use for brochures, booklets, catalogues, programmes and documents

What is a saddle stitched book?
A saddle stitched book is a booklet made from folded sheets that are stapled through the centre fold. It is also commonly known as a stapled booklet.

What are saddle stitched books best used for?
They are ideal for brochures, catalogues, event programmes, price lists, newsletters, manuals, prospectuses, reports, menus and short publications.

How many pages can I have?
Saddle stitched books start from 8 pages and can go up to 68 pages including the cover. The maximum page count may depend on the paper stock and weight selected.

Why do pages need to be in multiples of 4?
Each folded sheet creates four printed pages. This means saddle stitched books must be supplied as 8, 12, 16, 20 pages and so on.

What if my booklet has too many pages?
If your booklet is too thick for saddle stitching, a perfect bound book may be a better option. This gives a square spine and is better suited to larger page counts.

What sizes are available?
Standard sizes include A6, A5, A4 and square options. Custom sizes are also available, depending on the specification.

Can I have a landscape booklet?
Yes, landscape booklets are available on selected sizes. Some smaller landscape formats may not be suitable, so check before setting up your artwork.

What paper stocks can I choose from?
You can choose from silk, gloss, uncoated and recycled paper options. Silk works well for mixed text and images, gloss is best for vibrant visuals, uncoated is good for a softer natural feel, and recycled is a good choice for a more environmentally conscious finish.

Can the cover be thicker than the inner pages?
Yes. Many customers choose a heavier cover with lighter inner pages for a more durable booklet. This is a popular option for brochures, programmes and catalogues.

What cover finishes are available?
Covers can be supplied without lamination, or finished with matt, gloss or soft-touch lamination. Lamination adds protection and can help reduce marking on darker or heavily printed covers.

Can I add foil or Spot UV?
Yes. Gold foil, silver foil and Spot UV can be added to selected areas of the cover. These finishes work best on simple details such as logos, titles, lines and patterns.

Should I supply artwork as single pages or spreads?
Please supply your artwork as single pages in reading order unless we specifically ask for printer's spreads. This helps us check and impose the booklet correctly for print.

Do I need bleed and crop marks?
Yes. Please include bleed and crop marks on your print-ready PDF. Background colours, images and design elements that run to the edge should extend into the bleed area.

How far from the edge should important content sit?
Keep text, logos and key details inside the safe area and away from the trim edge and centre fold. This helps prevent anything being cut too close or sitting awkwardly near the staples.

What file format should I supply?
Please supply a print-ready PDF with embedded fonts, crop marks, bleed and high-resolution images. PDF/X-1a is preferred where possible.

What resolution should my images be?
Images should ideally be 300dpi at the final printed size. Low-resolution images may appear blurry or pixelated when printed.

Can I design my booklet in Canva?
Yes. Export your file as a PDF Print file with crop marks and bleed selected. Canva files are usually RGB, so colours may shift slightly when converted for print.

Can SM1 check my artwork before print?
Yes. We can check supplied artwork and let you know if there are obvious print issues. If your file needs correction, layout work or redesign, we can quote for artwork support.