One of the simplest and most cost effective forms of binding your book or booklet is also one that looks professional and refined. A saddle stitch is the perfect choice in many instances, from product catalogs and booklets to team directories and pamphlets.
The saddle stitch is a classic. So called because the position of the staples is reminiscent of a horse’s saddle. The paper of your book or catalog is folded at the center and stapled along the spine – a saddle. This is a very familiar type of binding to anyone who has seen a school event directory, theater program, or comic book.
The process of saddle stitching is relatively simple, and in many instances can be completed ‘inline.’ This means that the folding and stapling all occurs in the printer in one continuous process right after the pages are printed. Everything is set up from the press console and the operator simply picks up the completed booklet at the end of the process.
In other instances though, the stitching can be completed offline with a specialty stapler and stand.
The one key point to remember in saddle-stitching is ‘creep.’ The more pages you have in a booklet, the more the center pages will stick out from the cover. You can see this effect simply by folding and stacking a few sheets of paper on top of each other. The bottom sheet will stick out further than the top sheet. This isn’t a big deal with a few sheets, but the more pages you add, and if you add a cover or insert of a heavier paper, then creep will be a bigger issue.
To correct this, binders will trim the outside edge of the pages so you have a nice clean edge all around. In order to do this though a booklet’s designer and pre-press team must work together. The creep may need to be factored into the design from the beginning (again depending on size). Often you simply need to add an extra amount of space to the interior margin, but as with everything, the pre-press department can work with you to make sure your work prints and binds just the way you want it to.
And of course, if you have questions about a project to be saddle-stitched, we would be happy to help.
