Booklet Printing

Choosing the Right Booklet for the Job

A booklet does what a flyer can't. When there's more to say than fits on a single sheet — a product range, a full menu, an event programme, a set of instructions — a stapled booklet holds it together in something people keep rather than glance at and bin.

All our booklets are saddle stitched, meaning the pages are folded and stapled through the spine. It's the neatest and most cost-effective binding up to 72 pages, and it lets the booklet open flat. Available from 8 to 72 pages in six formats, from just 25 copies, with free UK delivery on every order.

Which Size Do You Need?

• A4 (210 x 297mm) — the largest. For reports, technical specifications, property brochures and anything with tables, plans or detailed imagery.
• A5 (148 x 210mm) — the most popular. Enough room for real content without being something people have to carry deliberately. The default for brochures, programmes and catalogues.
• A6 (105 x 148mm) — pocket sized. Guides, instruction leaflets, orders of service and anything enclosed with a product.
• DL (99 x 210mm) — tall and slim, fits a DL envelope without folding and sits well in a display rack. The standard for menus and direct mail.
• 148mm square — compact and distinctive. Stands out against standard formats while staying easy to hand out.
• 210mm square — the design-led option. Room for photography without cropping to a portrait page.

Page Counts: Why Multiples of Four

Booklet page counts must be a multiple of four. This isn't a rule we've invented — it's how saddle stitching works. Each sheet of paper is folded in half and produces four printed pages, two on each side, so there's no way to add pages in smaller increments without leaving a loose sheet.

Choose from 8pp, 12pp, 16pp and upwards in fours, to a maximum of 72pp. "pp" means printed pages, not sheets — a 16pp booklet is four folded sheets giving sixteen sides. If your content lands on an awkward number, add a contents page, a notes page, or leave an inside cover blank to round up.

Paper Stocks and Lamination

Covers and inner pages are specified separately on every size, so you can pair a heavier cover with lighter inners — the standard approach for anything handled repeatedly.

Inner stocks run from 90gsm to 170gsm in uncoated, silk and gloss. Covers add 170gsm uncoated, 250gsm silk, 250gsm uncoated and 350gsm silk on top of that. Uncoated takes pen cleanly and suits text-heavy work; silk holds colour with a low sheen; gloss gives the most saturation. Specifying the same stock throughout gives a self-cover booklet, the most economical option.

Cover lamination is available in gloss, matt or soft touch, single or double sided.

Supplying Your Artwork

Supply single pages, not spreads. Every page should be a separate page in your PDF at finished size. Don't supply facing pages side by side as a double-width spread — we impose the pages for printing, and a reader spread has to be taken apart first.

Supply pages in running order. Page 1 is the front cover, page 2 the inside front cover, through to the back cover. Don't arrange them in printing order.

Artwork should be a print-ready PDF in CMYK at 300dpi, with 3mm bleed and no printer marks. Keep text at least 5mm from the trim edge. Free templates are available for every size.

Every file is checked by a real person before printing, so obvious problems get flagged. We don't make changes or fixes to artwork — files should be supplied print-ready.

Turnaround & Delivery

Choose a 1 working day turnaround for urgent jobs, or 3–4 working days for standard production. The first working day begins the day after your order is placed, and turnaround covers production only — delivery is on top of that.

Standard UK delivery is free on every booklet order, whatever the size, page count or quantity. Collection from our Burnley facility is also available.