What is Saddle Stitch Binding?

No matter who you are or what you do, it’s all but guaranteed you’ve seen saddle stitch bound publications in your daily life. Saddle stitch binding, AKA staple binding, is a tidy, cost-effective, and efficient method for holding shorter volumes together, typically no longer than 64 pages. It’s used by marketers, publishers, and organizations of all sizes to create attractive and durable booklets for numerous applications.

If you’re considering saddle stitch binding for an upcoming print project, this blog will help you understand:

• How the technique works
• Which types of publications commonly use it
• What to watch for when designing a saddle stitch bound publication

How Saddle Stitch Binding Works

To create a saddle stitch publication, first, the page order must be adjusted. Saddle stitch booklets are formed by a series of double-wide sheets, stacked on top of each other, then folded over in a single bundle or ‘signature’. So, for example, if you’re printing a 12-page booklet, the first sheet would feature pages 1 and 12 on one side of the sheet, and pages 2 and  11 on the reverse. Then, the next sheet would feature pages 3 and 10 on one side, pages 4 and 9 on the reverse, and so on.

Once the sheets are correctly assembled and folded, the saddle stitching machine threads wire staples through the folded edge, producing a slender spine with no flat surface. Two staples are typical, but additional staples may be used for books with larger dimensions or more pages.

Best Use Cases

• Popular product types: 
  
  • Booklets
  • Magazines
  • Short catalogs
  • Event programs
  • Newsletters
• Suitable for publications between 8 and 64 pages in length
• See also: Custom Booklet Printing, Marketing Collateral Printing

Design Tips for Saddle Stitch

Designing a publication with a binding method in mind helps ensure all your information is properly displayed and prevents unwanted dead space. In addition to following the best practices for print design, saddle stitch bound booklet designs should also:

• Feature an interior page count that is a multiple of four. 
• Include adequate gutters between pages to avoid distortions or content loss.

Saddle Stitch Alternative: How to Spiral Bind a Book

As versatile and popular as the saddle stitch binding is, it does come with some drawbacks. Specifically, a limited maximum page count, and a tendency not to sit flat when opened. If these traits are problematic for the type of content being printed, such as workbooks and planning tools, then the best flat-lying alternative method is spiral binding.

The spiral binding process follows six steps:

1. The pages are printed consecutively, four to a sheet 
2. Each sheet is folded in half
3. The folded sheets are stacked in order
4. The folded edges are sliced off
5. A series of evenly spaced holes are punched along the sliced edge
6. A plastic coil or cylindrical wire comb is threaded through the punched holes

In the world of professional print, the plastic coil is what’s specifically meant by the term ‘spiral bound’, while the cylindrical metal comb is known as a ‘wire-o binding’. Both of these bindings allow a publication to lie completely flat, and even fold 360 degrees back on itself - actions a saddle stitch bound book will resist due to the nature of its folded spine.

Get Your Saddle Stitched Booklets Printed by Wallace Carlson

Saddle stitching is a cost-efficient binding technique, ideally suited to shorter publications of 64 pages or less. Saddle stitch bound products made by Wallace Carlson are of exceptional quality, featuring crisp, vivid printing, quality materials and finishes, and excellent durability suitable for mailed distribution and/or long-term use.

If you’re interested in saddle stitched booklets or any of the other professional binding techniques we offer, Wallace Carlson’s experts are ready to help you bring your vision to life! Simply reach out today to get started.