A5 Booklet Printing

Stapled A5 Booklets for Brochures, Programmes and Catalogues

A5 is the size most booklets end up being. Half an A4, it holds a proper amount of content without becoming something people have to carry deliberately — which is why it's the default for brochures, product catalogues, event programmes, orders of service, newsletters and staff handbooks.

Our A5 booklets are saddle stitched, meaning the pages are folded and stapled through the spine. It's the neatest and most cost-effective binding for anything up to 72 pages, and it lets the booklet open flat.

Available from 8 to 72 pages, in runs from just 25 copies.

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 the front, two on the back. 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. Note that "pp" means printed pages, not sheets — a 16pp booklet is four folded sheets giving sixteen sides.

If your content lands on an awkward number, the usual fix is to add a blank page, an inside cover note, or a contents or notes page to round up to the next multiple of four.

Paper Stocks

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

Inner pages: 90gsm uncoated, 115gsm silk, 120gsm uncoated, 130gsm gloss, 150gsm silk, 170gsm silk.

Covers: all of the above, plus 170gsm uncoated, 250gsm silk, 250gsm uncoated and 350gsm silk.

A few practical points:

• Uncoated stocks take pen cleanly and are easier to read under strong light. Choose them for anything with forms, notes pages, or a lot of body text — handbooks, orders of service, workbooks.
• Silk holds colour better with a low sheen. The usual choice for brochures and catalogues where images matter.
• Gloss gives the highest colour saturation and the most sheen. Best for image-led work.
• Heavier covers — 250gsm or 350gsm — make a noticeable difference on booklets that will live in a bag or on a counter. Lighter covers are fine for short-run event programmes that get read once.

You can also run a self-cover booklet by specifying the same stock throughout, which is the most economical option for newsletters and internal documents.

Lamination

Available on the cover in gloss, matt or soft touch, single or double sided:

• Single sided laminates the outside of the cover only. Protects the front and back where handling wear shows, and leaves the inside cover unlaminated.
• Double sided laminates both faces of the cover. More durable, and the inside cover keeps the same finish as the outside.

Matt resists fingerprints and suits text-heavy covers. Gloss lifts colour on image-led designs. Soft touch is the most premium and most noticeable in the hand. Bear in mind laminated surfaces can't be written on with a standard pen.

Binding Edge

Choose long edge or short edge binding:

• Long edge — the spine runs down the 210mm side, giving a standard portrait A5 booklet. This is what most people want.
• Short edge — the spine runs along the 148mm side, giving a landscape booklet. Suits presentations, photography and anything with wide imagery.

Supplying Your Artwork

Two requirements catch most people out, so they're worth getting right first time:

Supply single pages, not spreads. Every page should be a separate page in your PDF, at finished A5 size. Don't supply facing pages side by side as a double-width spread — we impose the pages for printing, so a reader spread has to be taken apart before it can be used, and that's a common cause of delay.

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

Keep text and page numbers at least 5mm from the trim edge. On thicker booklets, allow a little extra margin on the inside edge, as pages towards the centre lose a fraction of width to the fold.

Every file is checked by a real person before it goes to print, so obvious problems get flagged rather than printed. Please note 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.

Turnaround is production time only and doesn't include delivery. Once dispatched, orders are sent by courier. Standard UK delivery is free on all A5 booklet orders, whatever the page count or quantity.

Collection from our Burnley production facility is also available.

FAQs

What's the minimum order?
25 booklets.

How many pages can I have?
From 8 to 72 printed pages, in multiples of four.

Why does it have to be a multiple of four?
Each folded sheet in a saddle stitched booklet produces four printed pages — two on each side. Page counts that aren't a multiple of four would leave a loose sheet.

My content is 14 pages. What do I do?
Round up to 16pp. The usual approach is to add a contents page, a notes page, or leave the inside front or back cover blank.

Should I supply spreads or single pages?
Single pages, in running order, at finished A5 size. Don't supply facing pages as double-width spreads.

Can the cover be a different stock from the inside pages?
Yes. Covers and inners are chosen separately, with heavier options available on the cover up to 350gsm silk.

What is saddle stitching?
Pages are folded and stapled through the spine with wire staples. It's the standard binding for booklets up to around 72 pages, allows the booklet to open flat, and is the most cost-effective option at this size.

Can I write on the cover?
Only if it's unlaminated and uncoated. Laminated and coated surfaces don't take standard pen ink well.

Is delivery really free?
Yes. Standard UK delivery is included on all A5 booklet orders, with no minimum spend.