What Are Saddle Stitch Booklets?

One of the most popular styles of printed booklets is the saddle stitch booklet. They’re cost-effective, useful, and surprisingly easy to design. Saddle stitching refers to the way the booklet is put together. Saddle stitch booklets have many uses and can be employed as effective print marketing material for any business big or small, regardless of industry.

What’s in a Name?

Saddle stitch booklets are made by the process for which they’re named: saddle stitching. Saddle stitching calls for a staple placed through all the pages of the booklet arranged together. The booklet has a fold line through which the staples are placed. The unique name for this binding method comes from the booklet being placed over a “saddle” while the staples (stitches) are applied.

Saddle stitch booklets are great for page counts between 8 and 76 pages. Larger than that, and perfect binding becomes the preferred binding method of choice.

Designing Your Saddle Stitch Booklet

Saddle stitch booklets are easier to design that one might think. It’s simply a matter of arranging the pages of your booklet in the correct form for production. Designing a saddle stitch booklet may call for a particular arrangement of images and text within the booklet itself but doesn’t limit what you can put in the booklet. You can feature as many images as you’d like, but it’s smart to consider limiting your imagery to best utilize the space available in the booklet. Use this space to feature text corresponding to the message of the booklet itself. Consider placing your best design on the cover, aiming for the features proven effective in postcard or other similar print marketing pieces. On the back of the booklet, it may prove effective to go for a simple design, like a blank colored page with your company’s logo and contact information on the bottom of the page. Arrange the booklet in a logical order that best serves the overall purpose of the booklet. For example, if your booklet is an instructions-based booklet, arrange the instructions in order, and consider placing a table of contents section near the front, and a troubleshooting page at the end.

Plenty of Options

There are plenty of options for how and when to use saddle stitch booklets in your print marketing campaigns. They can be used for:

• Instructional booklets
• Direct mail newsletters
• Sharing the news of promotions, sales or events
• Forecasting or reviewing your businesses progress over the coming or preceding year
• Creating programs for a school, an athletic program, a dance organization or other recreational group
• Detailing news and information about laws or regulations by a bureaucratic organization or government
• Creating programs for events like a graduation ceremony or other meaningful event

Of course, designers aren’t limited to just these options. Any time a situation calls for an economical, convenient way to package a large amount of information, saddle stitch booklets are a great choice. Contact 800-227-7377 or shop online today to find out how you can design and incorporate saddle stitch booklets into your print marketing campaigns.