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So you’ve decided to print a booklet. Printed marketing materials, such as booklets, are a great way to engage with target audiences and create brand awareness in a cost-effective and easy-to-digest way. When you find a suitable booklet printing service that fits your requirements, you will be asked to choose how your booklet will be bound. But which binding is best for your booklet? In this article, we will explore the different types of booklet binding to determine which is most suitable for your booklet.
Which Types of Booklet Binding Are Most Common?
Most online printing services will offer three binding methods for booklets: stapled, perfect and wiro binding.
Stapled Binding
What is stapled binding?
Stapled binding, sometimes called saddle stitching, is one of the cheapest ways to have your booklets bound. The process involves printing content on both sides of the paper, placing them together with a cover and adding staples along the fold of the booklet.
When to use stapled binding
Stapled binding is suitable for publications with few pages. Generally, you should not use stapled binding if your booklet has more than 40 pages, as it may not hold the pages together well. Furthermore, suppose you’re creating a time-bound booklet that will stay relevant for a short amount of time, such as a promotional booklet for limited-time offers. In that case, stapled binding is the best option because it is affordable but not as durable as other binding methods.
Perfect Binding
What is perfect binding?
Perfect binding is used to bind books with many pages. The process involves grouping together pages and gluing a cover to the spine of a publication. Perfect binding is an affordable binding method that produces clean and professional-looking booklets.
When to use perfect binding
Perfect binding is ideal if your booklet has many pages—for example if you’re creating a magazine or a catalogue. If the thickness of your booklet’s spine is less than 4mm, perfect binding is not recommended as the glue will not have enough surface area to properly fuse to the paper. So if your booklet has less than 40 pages, stapled binding is far more suitable.
Wiro Binding
What is wiro binding?
Wiro binding is a popular booklet binding method. The process involves punching holes through the booklet cover and pages and inserting pre-formed wires through the holes. Wiro binding has several benefits. First, wiro binding allows readers to open booklets fully without risking ripping the pages. Additionally, wiro-bound booklets can have as few or as many pages as you like, within reason. As long as the pre-formed wire isn’t too large, the pages will remain intact.
When to use wiro binding
Wiro binding is ideal for booklets that need to last. For example, if you’re creating a booklet that isn’t time-bound, such as a general overview of your business containing product information, case studies and testimonials. Many businesses will also use wiro binding for presentations, manuals and financial reports—anything that needs to last a long time.
How to Print a Booklet
You will be pleased to learn that getting a booklet printed has never been easier! Today, there are dozens of excellent online booklet printing services that are poised and ready to help you create a clean, professional booklet that presents your business in a good light.
When you’ve decided which booklet printing service you’d like to use, you’ll likely be asked to complete an online instant quote. First, you need to choose what size the booklet should be. Most printing services will offer A4 through to A7 and will also offer a wide variety of square sizes. If needed, many booklet printing services will allow you to print your booklet in a custom size.
Next, you will be asked to choose the paper type. There are several paper options available, but most printing services will offer silk, gloss, natural, uncoated and recycled paper. After you’ve selected the paper type, you need to determine how thick you’d like it to be. Generally, booklet pages should be somewhere between 130 and 170 GSM to ensure durability. However, you may decide that thicker paper is preferable.
Then, you will be asked to choose how you would like your booklet to be bound. As we outlined above, there are generally three binding options available for booklets: stapled, perfect and wiro. The best type of binding will depend on your budget and the nature of your booklet. For example, if you’re creating a 40-page employee manual that needs to stand the test of time, wiro binding is preferable as is highly durable and allows readers to open the booklet fully without worrying about the cover or pages ripping. Alternatively, if you’re creating a time-bound booklet containing limited-time offers on products and services, a staple-bound booklet is better suited as it is the cheapest binding option.
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash