An Essential Guide To Booklet Printing
With online booklet printing, you can be your very own publisher, creating your own brochure, magazine, short story or even annual report. With short print runs and the latest presses, you can easily produce your own print that looks good, is more immediate than traditional methods, and is more affordable too! If you’re looking to self-publish your very own publication, make sure you read through our essential guide to booklet printing before you embark on such a venture:
Choose the right binding
Booklets are thinner than books. So, they therefore require different binding. For booklet printing with approx. 8-40pages you are looking at a straightforward saddle-stitch (with staples down the spine). For booklet printing with approx. 20-240 pages, you are looking at perfect binding (where the spine is held together with adhesive and a paper cover). The binding you choose will be depending on the number of pages of your booklet.
Leave space for binding
When binding is involved, you need to be mindful of the space required for the binding. You don’t want to forget and find half of your text is lost in the spine. Remember to leave enough space to avoid text being cut off or making it hard to read.
Organise your information
There’s a lot to include in a booklet and if there is a lot of information, you need to give thought to how it is displayed clearly and effectively. Give thought to section headings, and ensure they are helpful and description whilst also sparking curiosity. And make sure any necessary confirmation information is included in the relevant sections.
Consider your front cover
They say don’t judge a book by its cover, but it’s still one of the most important aspects of any booklet print. Consider the design, imagery, wording, to ensure it stands out and displays the main message you are trying to convey.
Use high-res imagery
Printed pieces can’t get away with low res images. Something that is displayed OK digitally doesn’t have the same effect on a printed piece and may end up looking pixelated and shoddy. If you want your booklet to maintain a sense of professionalism, make sure you use high res imagery.
Choose your orientation wisely
You don’t want to choose a portrait layout if most of your imagery is landscape. Similarly, you don’t want to go for landscape if most of your booklet is text. Think about how and what you are displaying and work to a layout that best suits.
Consider your inner paper stock
Depending on what your booklet is about, and the size of your booklet, you may want to give thought to the type of paper stock you wish to choose. Heavier stock gives a luxurious look, but too much thick paper may cause a booklet to spring open. If your booklet has more than 28 pages, an optimum paper weight is 120gsm to 150gsm.
Consider your inner paper finish
As well as stock, you want to give thought to the paper finish. A gloss finish is ideal for pages with large imagery as it creates a real sense of vibrancy. Silk or uncoated is better places for information and text-heavy pages. Whilst lamination is ideal for booklets which require extra durability.
Choose your cover stock and finish
You book cover stock and finish is usually different to the inner pages, and can make a huge difference to whether your booklet is even picked up in the first place. Heavier paper can make a booklet more rigid and durable. High gloss is ideal for magazines to make images really pop. And more low-key contemporary booklets look great with matt lamination.
Understand page counts
When counting the total number of pages, make sure you include the cover; outside front, inside front, inside back and outside back. The outside front cover is page 1 in the printing world and the inside front cover is page 2.
If you are using a saddle-stich spine, you need to ensure the total number of pages is a multiple of four. If choosing perfect binding, you need to make sure the total number of pages is a multiple of two.
Choose Print2Demand
If you’re considering self-publishing your own book, or need design help or print advice converting your PDF to a printed book, consider Print2Demand digital commercial book printing services. We offer a5 booklet printing, a4 booklet printing as well as mass booklet printing if you’re looking to print larger volumes.
We are an all round UK book manufacturing and printing service. We work closely with publishers, self publishers and authors. We have a state of the art factory, complemented by our sales and marketing office in Westoning, Bedfordshire. We have invested in the very latest digital and litho printing technology, to integrate with a fully equipped craftsman bindery. The conclusion of which means we are offering both softback and hardback books, to a very high standard of quality.
Order your digital commercial book printing online or contact our team for more information.