Print glossary

What is saddle stitch binding?

Definition

Saddle stitching binds a booklet by folding sheets in half, nesting them inside each other and stapling through the fold, so the page count must be a multiple of 4.

What it means for your file

It is the usual and cheapest binding for booklets, programs, catalogs, magazines and wall calendars. It suits thinner booklets: as the page count grows, the middle pages push outwards (creep) and the spine bulges, and printers suggest perfect binding instead.

Send single pages in reading order, with bleed; the printer’s imposition pairs them into spreads. For a thicker book with a flat, printable spine, see perfect binding.

An example

A 16-page booklet is four sheets, each folded once to make four pages, nested inside each other and stapled twice through the spine. The outside sheet carries the front cover, inside front cover, inside back cover and back cover, so a self-cover booklet counts its cover as four of the 16 pages.

A common mistake

Ignoring creep in a thicker booklet. The nested sheets are pushed outwards, so after trimming the middle pages lose a little more at the outside edge than the outer ones. Keep page numbers and text further from the trim, often 0.25 in (6 mm) or more, and let the printer allow for creep in their imposition rather than shifting pages yourself.

How to fix it

If your printer sent the file back saying “The page count must be a multiple of 4,” the fix page has the step-by-step way to do it yourself, and a fixed price if you’d rather have it done.

How to fix “The page count must be a multiple of 4”