Everything you need to know about page counts for saddle stitched booklets

Learn quickly how to calculate the page count of saddle stitched booklets and how to export your files correctly.

What are saddle stitch Booklets?

Saddle stitched booklets are booklets that are bound with a staple on the spine (the folded edge). Multiple sheets are scored, folded in half, collated, and then stapled to create the booklet. During the process, the sheets are draped over a Saddle-like tool, hence the name saddle stitching.

How does it work?

saddle-stitched-how-does-it-work

Saddle stitched booklets are produced by folding multiple sheets of paper in half, collating and then stapling in the centre.

RULE OF 4

The visual shows how saddle stittched booklets are made and shows multiple pages being folded and stacked on top of each other. This means that your total number of pages should always be dividable by 4.

EXAMPLE

8 pages

Two 17" x 11" sheets that are bound to an 8.5" x 11" booklet would count as 8 pages.

Front
Back
  • Page 1:Front cover
  • Page 2:Inside front cover
  • Page 3:First "internal" page (right-hand-side)
  • Page 4 to 6:Other internal pages
  • Page 7:Inside back cover
  • Page 8:Back cover
8
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
EXAMPLE

12 pages

Three 17" x 11" sheets that are bound to an 8.5" x 11" booklet would count as 12 pages.

Front
Back
  • Page 1:Front cover
  • Page 2:Inside front cover
  • Page 3:First "internal" page (right-hand-side)
  • Page 4 to 10:Other internal pages
  • Page 11:Inside back cover
  • Page 12:Back cover
12
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
margin-matter

Margins matter

Make sure to set your margins properly. The bleed is used to give your print some outside margin during the cutting process, while the safe area is used to avoid important elements to be cut off.

For both margins, work with a minimum of 0.125”.
Bleed
Trim line
Safe area
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Exporting

Arranging pages for export

Once you’re finished with your document and want to export your file to PDF, it’s important to work with a specific page order. Also, make sure your export is set to “Pages” instead to “Spreads”.

An exported file for 8 pages would look like this:

  • File Page 1:Front cover
  • File Page 2:Inside Front Cover
  • File Page 3:Inside Page
  • File Page 4:Inside Page
  • File Page 5:Inside Page
  • File Page 6:Inside Page
  • File Page 7:Inside Back Cover
  • File Page 8:Back Cover
In case you need any guidance regarding page order and margins, you can always download our workfile Templates.
saddle-stitched-booklets

Get your own Saddle Stitch Book

Nothing beats the feeling of seeing your work published in a premium bound book. Choose our saddle stitched booklets if you're looking for a stylish way to present your catalog, event program, playbill, portfolio, or any type of informational document.


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Design Considerations

Image Resolution
image-resolution

The images used in your book should be at least 300 DPI (at 100% view).

Color Mode
color-mode

Your document color mode should be: CMYK (U.S. Sheetfed Coated v2).

Safety Margin
safety-margin

Your inside safety margin needs to be set at: 0.125”.

Spine Edge
spine-edge

The margin from the side of the spine needs to be set at: 0.5”.

Bleed
bleed

The outside margin (bleed) needs to be set at: 0.125”.

Page Count
page-count

The total number of pages must always be a multiple of 4.

File Needed
file-needed

Supply 1 PDF file with multiple single pages (including the covers).