A custom catalog lets you promote your company by highlighting products and sharing information. There are two common book binding types: perfect bound and saddle stitch. Both binding methods produce durable, well-crafted booklets that expertly showcase your content, including text and images. A tactile experience, like flipping the pages of a booklet or catalog, leaves a lasting impression. That’s why custom catalogs remain a popular marketing tool. But different print projects have different needs. Page count, communication goals, and visual style will all guide your custom booklet printing style. Here’s everything you need to find the right catalog binding style for your booklets.
What is Saddle Stitch Binding?
Saddle stitch binding features layered folded sheets of paper that are bound with staples. A saddle stitched booklet lies flat when opened, which makes it easy to read. When the collated sheets are draped over the stapling machine, it resembles a saddle on a horse—which is where the name comes from. Fast and cost-effective, saddle stitch booklet printing is often used for newsletters, even programs, and magazines.
What is Perfect Binding?
Perfect binding glues the pages to an inner sheet, which is then attached to the cover of the spine. This results in a flat spine for a high-end, professional appearance. Though it is offered at an additional cost, perfect binding services result in the highest quality booklets that are seamlessly elegant and incredibly durable. It also takes longer to print, as perfect binding book printing requires time for the glue to dry.
How to Choose Between Saddle Stitch vs Perfect Binding
Page Count
The page count of your booklet will determine how they are bound. Typically, a saddle stapled booklet has fewer pages, as this is easier for staples to bind them together. At GotPrint, we offer saddle stitching for booklets ranging from 8 pages to 96 pages. Booklets that are 48 pages or higher can be perfect bound. This ensures that all the pages are thoroughly secured and easy to flip through.
Catalog Content
Your booklet style should reflect your brand. Start by determining your aesthetic and marketing goals. Booklets have a variety of uses, which can range from selling products to sharing informative content. Most companies will use the perfect binding method for luxury catalogs, lookbooks, and professional portfolios. If you’re printing graphic novels or other visual art books, this style ensures your books will have a long lifespan. The sturdy spine makes it ideal for prints that will be used frequently. For luxury brands and high-end companies, catalog marketing with well-crafted, perfect bound booklets will impress their clientele. The flat spine and sleek cover will make your custom catalogs look professional.
Saddle stitch catalogs, on the other hand, are often used for products that have a shorter lifespan. Magazine printing for seasonal and holiday catalogs, which promote limited-time sales and products, rarely needs to last beyond the relevant sales season. Businesses often use booklets to share internal information, like seasonal reports and training manuals. Print custom programs, newsletters, and calendars with saddle stitching. This method allows you to print marketing catalogs that are budget-friendly without sacrificing quality. This printing method also has a shorter turnaround time, since the stapling process is less time-consuming.
Cover Style
When printing booklets, there are two types of covers: self cover and plus cover. Self cover uses the same paper stock throughout the inside pages and the cover. Plus cover uses a different, typically heavier, paper stock for the cover pages and a lighter paper stock for the inside pages. Though both cover styles can be used for saddle and perfect binding, it is common to use plus cover for a luxe perfect bound booklet and self cover for a simpler staple bound booklet.
How to Distribute Booklets and Catalogs
The purpose of your custom catalogs will determine what you do with them. Saddle stitched booklets are convenient and lightweight, which makes them perfect for sending free catalogs by mail. This is ideal for product catalogs, since you can target pre-existing customers, promote sales, and launch products. These are also easy to bring with you to trade shows, conventions, and other networking events. Perfect bound books are slightly heavier. This is due to the glue used along the spine as well as the extra pages people typically print. These perfect bound catalogs are ideal for displaying in offices, lobbies, and waiting rooms.
Trust GotPrint for all your booklet printing services to receive high-quality, long-lasting prints that you’ll be proud to pass out. We offer three different booklet sizes—5.5” x 8.5”, 6″ x 9”, and 8.5” x 11”—for our catalogs. We use detailed, full-color printing on premium paper stocks, so your design will print clearly. Choose our 100 lb. Gloss Book paper or 80 lb. Gloss Book paper if you want your pages to have a shiny finish. If you want a matte finish, select our 70 lb. Opaque Smooth White or 80 lb. Matte Text paper. Whether you choose perfect binding or saddle stitch binding, your well-crafted booklets will clearly communicate services, products, and information through a print that showcases your brand identity.