Saddle Stitch Booklet Printing
See Saddle Stitch Booklet Printing in action
Folded sheets stapled through the spine at 5.5" x 8.5", 8.5" x 11" or 11" x 11", 8 to 60 pages on 7 inside stocks and 3 covers, from $240.55 for 25.
As a booklet printer, we staple-bind booklets in our NYC plant at 5.5" x 8.5", 8.5" x 11" or 11" x 11", from 8 to 60 pages, starting at $240.55 for 25. You choose the inside stock, the cover and the ink, then upload your pages.
- From $240.55 per 25 booklets, about $9.62 each, with the per-booklet price sliding to $0.24 by 5,000.
- 3 sizes, from a 5.5" x 8.5" half-letter program up to a square 11" x 11", plus custom sizing up to 11" x 11".
- 14 page counts, starting at 8 pages (a cover plus 4 inside pages), then 12 and 16, stepping up 4 pages at a time.
- 7 inside stocks and 3 cover stocks, printed 1/1 black on both sides or 4/4 full color on both sides.
- 7 business day standard turnaround, faster down to next-day, rated 4.7 out of 5 across 25 reviews.
Turn a Stack of Pages Into a Finished Book
We fold the printed sheets in half and drive two staples through the spine crease, and the pile becomes a book that lies flat like a thin magazine. Saddle stitching is the simplest binding for a short run, from $240.55 for 25, and buyers rate it 4.7 out of 5 across 25 reviews. Event programs, product catalogs, instruction manuals and lookbooks all print this way.
Can You Print an A4 Saddle Stitch Brochure
An A4 layout prints here on the 8.5" x 11" size, the letter format and the closest of our three. Set your file to 8.5 by 11 inches before you upload, and the rest of the build works the same as any saddle stitched brochure:
- Size: 8.5" x 11", or 5.5" x 8.5" and 11" x 11", plus custom sizes up to 11" x 11"
- Pages: 8 to 60, in steps of 4, counting the cover
- Inside stock: 100# Gloss Text, 100# Silk/Matte Text, 70# Uncoated Text, 80# Gloss Cover, 14pt Gloss Cover, 100# Silk/Matte Cover or 14pt Uncoated Cover (30% PCW)
- Cover: 100# Gloss Text as a self cover, 80# Gloss Cover or 14pt Gloss Cover
- Ink: 1/1 black on both sides or 4/4 full color on both sides
- Binding edge: long edge or short edge
- Quantity: 25 to 5,000 booklets
- Turnaround: 7 business days standard, faster options down to 1 day
Two staples in place of glue keep the book light and let it lie flat when open, and the binding costs far less than a glued spine, so thin books use it. Every other binding we print is on booklets and catalogs printing; the choices below build this one.
A proof run of 25 comes to about $9.62 a booklet, and a program for a full hall or a catalog mailing lands at a small part of that per copy. The tiers below give the order total at each of the 18 quantities from 25 to 5,000.
What Is a Saddle Stitch Booklet
A saddle stitch booklet is a set of printed sheets folded in half and stapled through the spine fold, so it opens flat like a thin magazine. At 4OVER4 these print full color in 3 sizes from 5.5" x 8.5" up to a square 11" x 11", with 14 page-count options starting at 8 pages, inside pages on 7 text stocks and covers on 3 stocks.
The name comes from the saddle the folded pages rest on while the machine drives staples through the spine fold. Staples in place of glue keep the book flat, light and low in cost, which suits shorter books. Each folded sheet adds 4 pages, so the page count moves in fours: 8, 12, 16 and up. If your book runs thick or you want a flat printable spine, the glued-spine Perfect Bound Book is the next step up, and the general Standard Booklets cover the same saddle stitch build in the classic sizes. For a wholesale catalog, read our guide on how to print a wholesale catalog before you pick a binding.
What Size and Page Count Should Your Booklet Be
Pick the shape first. The 5.5" x 8.5" default is the half-letter program or pocket guide; our guide to printing program booklets covers that job from layout to print. The 8.5" x 11" suits a full-size catalog or manual, and the square 11" x 11" makes a lookbook that stands out on a table. For anything in between, set a custom size up to 11" x 11". For a square book built around that shape, the Square Booklets are the dedicated pick.
Next comes the page count. The 14 options start at 8 pages, a cover plus 4 inside pages, then 12 and 16, and climb in steps of 4 because each folded sheet adds four pages. A long-edge or short-edge binding puts the staples on the side that fits your layout. The 3 sizes, the page counts, the stocks and the ink options appear below in the configurator's order.
What Paper and Ink Can You Choose
You choose the inside and the cover on their own. Inside pages print on 7 text stocks: pick 100# Gloss Text when photos need to pop, 100# Silk/Matte Text for a softer sheen that is easy to read, or 70# Uncoated Text when readers will write on the page. For the cover you have 3 options, from a self-cover 100# Gloss Text that matches the inside to a sturdier 14pt Gloss Cover or 80# Gloss Cover that protects a book people will handle.
For ink, print 1/1, black on both sides, to keep a text-heavy manual or program low in cost, or 4/4, full color on both sides, when photos run through the whole book. The total changes as you set size, page count, stock and ink, so you see what a heavier cover or a color interior adds before you order.
How Much Do Saddle Stitch Booklets Cost
An 8 page booklet costs $240.55 for 25, about $9.62 each. At 300 copies each one comes to about $1.65, at 1,000 about $0.62, and at 5,000 about $0.24. Set the slider below to your seat count or mailing list and read the order total and the per-booklet cost together.
Wally staples a book people keep
Why 25 saddle stitch booklets for $240.55 turn a stack of pages into a finished book.
Twenty-five saddle stitch booklets start at $240.55, about $9.62 each, and the per-booklet cost falls to $0.24 at 5,000. Pick a size up to 11 by 11 inch, set your page count from 8 pages up, choose your stock and ink, and Wally staples and ships them, on time and often early.
How Do Saddle Stitch Booklets Compare to Other Bindings
Saddle stitch costs the least when your book is thin enough to staple. A square book changes the shape, and a glued perfect-bound spine holds far more pages with a flat spine to print on. The chart below puts saddle stitch booklets beside those siblings with the starting price of each.
How Fast Can You Get Them, and How Does Proofing Work
Standard production for booklets is 7 business days, and when a date sneaks up you can move the speed up one day at a time all the way to next-day turnaround, so you only pay for speed when you actually need it. Across the plant, 99.8% of 4OVER4 orders ship on time and 82% ship early, so a booklet deadline is not a gamble.
Proofing is its own decision. Choose straight to production when your file is final and you want the fastest path, a free online proof to check the layout on screen before printing, or a next day hardcopy proof when you need to hold and approve a physical sample first. You set both the turnaround and the proof path in the configurator, and faster speeds adjust the price.
What Do People Print as Saddle Stitch Booklets
Venues print event and concert programs with this binding. Retailers and manufacturers use it for product catalogs and lookbooks, and companies bind instruction manuals and training guides. Churches and schools run weekly bulletins and yearbooks, agents print real estate brochures, and small publishers put out newsletters and zines. Up to 60 pages, stapling is the lowest cost binding we offer, and the per-booklet price at larger runs keeps reprints affordable.
See the Rest of Our Booklets
The cards below show the square booklet, the glued spine and the classic sizes, each with its starting price and a link to its page. The whole family is on booklets and catalogs printing, and the full print product range covers everything else we print.
More From Catalogs - Professional Quality
Print Your Saddle Stitch Booklets Today
At 4OVER4.COM, quality comes first, and it is backed by five guarantees and 25-plus years of printing since 1999. Pick the size, the page count, the stock and the ink, and the booklets arrive stapled, flat and ready to hand out. Need them before an event or a mailing? Step the turnaround up to next-day and you stay covered. Print your saddle stitch booklets today.
Saddle Stitch Booklet Printing: Frequently Asked Questions
What is saddle stitching?
Printed sheets are folded in half and stapled twice through the spine crease, which turns a loose stack into a book that lies flat like a thin magazine. Because the pages are stapled rather than glued, the book stays light and opens fully.
Why do the page counts move in fours?
Each sheet folds in half and prints on both sides, so one sheet always yields 4 pages. Counts start at 8 pages, a cover plus 4 inside pages, then 12 and 16, stepping up 4 at a time across 14 options.
What does a short run cost?
Twenty five booklets start at $240.55, about $9.62 each. The per booklet price slides down to $0.24 by 5,000, so the quantity you commit to changes the economics of the piece completely.
What sizes can a saddle stitch booklet be?
Three sizes, from a 5.5 inch by 8.5 inch half letter program up to a square 11 inch by 11 inch, plus custom sizing up to 11 by 11. Programs and manuals usually take the half letter, while catalogs and lookbooks take the larger formats.
Can the cover be a different stock from the inside pages?
Yes. There are 7 inside stocks and 3 cover stocks chosen separately, so a heavier cover can wrap lighter text pages. Ink is set across the book as 1/1, black on both sides, or 4/4, full color on both sides.
How fast can a booklet run be produced?
Standard turnaround is 7 business days, and faster speeds go down to next day. Choose the production speed at the same time as the page count and the stock.
