Stapled or Wire-Bound Booklets? How to choose and prepare your artwork
When printing a brochure, report, programme or training manual, the binding method affects both the appearance of the finished document and how the artwork should be prepared. Stapled and wire-bound booklets are both professional options, but stapled booklets are often the best choice when presentation and print quality are the main priorities.
What is a stapled booklet?
Stapled booklets, also known as saddle-stitched booklets, are made by folding printed sheets and inserting two staples through the spine. They are commonly used for:
- Printed PowerPoint presentations
- Corporate presentation decks
- Financial and annual reports
- Company brochures
- Event programmes
- Product catalogues
Stapled booklets provide a clean, professional brochure-style finish and work particularly well for documents with a relatively low page count. Because each folded sheet creates four pages, the total page count must be divisible by four. This includes the front cover, inside covers and back cover. We have recently invested in a top-of-the-range booklet maker, allowing us to produce accurately folded, stapled and trimmed booklets with an excellent finished appearance.
Our A4 and A5 colour stapled booklets are available with a choice of paper stocks, card covers and turnaround times.
What is a wire-bound document?
Wire-bound documents are made by punching holes along one edge and inserting a metal wire binding. They are commonly used for:
- Training manuals
- Workbooks
- Instruction guides
- Course materials
- Reports
- Reference documents
Wire-bound documents open flat, and the pages can be turned fully around to the back. This makes them a practical option for documents that need to remain open while being read, written in or referred to. Unlike stapled booklets, the page count does not normally need to be divisible by four. Our A4 wire-bound document printing service is available for documents where practicality and ease of use are more important than a brochure-style finish.
Which binding should you choose?
Choose stapled booklets for brochures, catalogues, event programmes and promotional documents where presentation is important. Choose wire binding for manuals, workbooks and training materials that need to open flat or be used regularly.
Preparing artwork for a stapled booklet
Supply one press-quality PDF containing individual pages in normal reading order. Do not arrange the pages into printing spreads. We will position them correctly for folding, stapling and trimming. Your file should include:
- The correct finished page size
- A page count divisible by four
- 3mm bleed where colour reaches the edge
- Important content at least 4mm from the edge
- High-resolution images, ideally 300dpi
- Embedded fonts
- CMYK colour where possible
Avoid narrow borders close to the edge, as small variations during folding and trimming can make them appear uneven.
Preparing artwork for wire binding
Wire-bound artwork should also be supplied as individual pages in normal reading order. Additional space is needed along the binding edge for the punched holes and wire. Keep important text, page numbers and logos at least 12mm away from this edge. For double-sided documents, remember that the binding margin changes sides:
- Right-hand pages are bound on the left
- Left-hand pages are bound on the right
Landscape documents can also be bound along either the short or long edge, depending on how the document needs to open. For more advice on bleed, safe margins, PDF settings and preparing files in Canva, Adobe or Microsoft Office, see our Artwork Guide.
Should covers be included in the PDF?
Yes. Printed front and back covers should normally be included within the same PDF as the rest of the document. For stapled booklets, the covers are included within the total page count. For example, a 20-page booklet includes the front cover, inside covers and back cover. For wire-bound documents, include any printed cover pages in the PDF. Clear acetate covers and plain backing card do not need to be included as artwork.
Choosing the paper
A lighter paper throughout is suitable for event programmes, internal documents and economical booklets. Adding a card cover gives a stapled booklet a more substantial brochure-style finish and helps protect the inside pages. Silk paper has a smooth finish with a slight sheen and works well for photographs, graphics and strong colours. Uncoated paper has a more natural appearance and is easier to write on. For a particularly professional result, a printed card cover combined with lighter inside pages is a popular choice for brochures, reports and product catalogues.
Order professionally finished colour booklets
Our new booklet-making equipment allows us to produce impressive A4 and A5 colour booklets with accurate folding, secure stapling and a neatly trimmed finish. Choose your size, page count, paper and cover options online for an instant price. We will check your artwork for print suitability and send a PDF proof for approval before printing.