Saddle Stitch Booklet Printing
Programs, catalogs, magazines, manuals, zines, and newsletters — folded and stapled through the spine, printed in full color, and finished in our own Phoenix shop on two automated bookletmakers. Short runs up to 3,000 copies, with your delivery date confirmed before you pay.
menu_book Stitched, folded & trimmed in one pass. Full bleed, crisp folds, flush edges.
Quote Your Saddle Stitch Booklet
One price. Printing, paper, binding, and delivery included. No hidden fees.
How We Saddle Stitch Your Booklets
Watch our Standard Horizon SPF-200L stitch, fold and trim booklets (59 seconds).
- Two automated bookletmakers in our Phoenix shop — a C.P. Bourg BM-e with BSF sheet feeder and BCM-e bleed crease module, and a Standard Horizon SPF-200L.
- Fed sheet by sheet, in order — each printed sheet runs through the line one at a time and collates into the finished book, with the cover wrapped on last.
- Full bleed, trimmed on three sides — slitters cut the head and foot, and a face trimmer squares the open edge, so your color runs right to the edge.
- Creased before folding — sheets are creased so heavy covers fold cleanly instead of cracking along the spine.
- Stitched from wire, on the spot, with Hohner stitch heads — German-made and widely regarded as the best in the bindery world, they form each staple from a wire spool and drive it cleanly through the spine, then the whole book is folded.
- An accumulator that keeps the line moving — our Standard Horizon builds the next book while it stitches the current one, so the feeder barely stops.
From Press Sheet to Finished Booklet
A typical 8.5″ × 11″ booklet starts as 12″ × 18″ sheets. Each sheet is folded in half and carries four pages, which is why saddle stitched page counts come in multiples of 4.
Inside Our Bindery
Saddle Stitch Specs
Sizes & Pages
- 8 to 80 pages, in multiples of 4
- Finished sizes from 5″ to 12.5″ on the binding edge and 3.5″ to 11.75″ on the other — most popular: 8.5″ × 11″ and 5.5″ × 8.5″
- Landscape booklets too — for example 8.5″ × 11″ bound on the short edge, opening to a 22″ × 8.5″ spread for calendars, programs, and photo books
Papers & Covers
- Full-color or black & white on gloss, matte, or uncoated text stocks
- Self-cover (same paper throughout) or a heavier cover with optional UV coating
- Quantities for short runs up to 3,000 copies
What Our Customers Saddle Stitch
- Programs — church, funeral, wedding, theater, graduation, and event programs
- Catalogs, lookbooks & product guides — light enough to mail, polished enough to sell
- Magazines & newsletters — the classic stapled-spine format
- Zines & comic books — short runs with full-bleed art
- Manuals, workbooks & calendars — including landscape layouts
Need more than 80 pages? Try perfect binding or coil binding.
How to Order
Get your quote
Pick saddle stitch in the quote tool. See your all-in price and delivery date instantly.
Order & upload
Pay, then upload your print-ready PDF on the very next screen — no email needed.
Approve your proof
We send a proof of your booklet. Nothing prints until you approve it.
Printed, stitched & shipped
We print, stitch, fold, trim, and ship from our Phoenix shop.
Preparing Your Files
- One PDF of single pages in reading order (not spreads) — a 24-page booklet is one 24-page PDF.
- Page count must be a multiple of 4. Add blank or note pages if you’re short.
- Include 1/8″ (0.125″) bleed on all sides if your design runs to the edge.
- No need to impose or adjust for creep — our equipment handles both automatically.
Full details: File Setup Requirements · Paper Guide
Saddle Stitch Questions
What is saddle stitch binding?
Saddle stitching folds printed sheets in half, nests them, and staples them through the fold with wire stitches. It’s the classic format for programs, magazines, catalogs, and booklets up to about 80 pages.
Why does my page count have to be a multiple of 4?
Each sheet is folded in half, which makes four pages (two on the front, two on the back). So booklets come in 8, 12, 16, 20 pages and so on, up to 80.
Can you saddle stitch landscape booklets?
Yes. For example, an 8.5″ × 11″ booklet bound on the 8.5″ edge opens to a 22″ × 8.5″ spread — great for calendars, photo books, and wide programs.
Should I choose saddle stitch or perfect binding?
Saddle stitch is ideal from 8 to 80 pages and lies flatter when open. For thicker books (40 pages and up) or a printed square spine, choose perfect binding.
Is the binding done in-house?
Yes. Your booklets are printed, stitched, folded, trimmed, and shipped from our shop at 3128 West Thomas Road in Phoenix, Arizona.
What Our Customers Say
4.8 on Google
67 reviews
4.9 on Facebook
55 votes
Ready to Get Started?
Get an accurate, all-inclusive quote in under 30 seconds.
No hidden fees. No surprises. Shipping included.
call 480.629.5162 | mail info@shortrunprinting.com
Why Short Run Printing?
All-inclusive pricing — print, bindery, and shipping are all included in your quote. No setup fees, no file upload fees, no surprises at checkout.
Quality guaranteed — we use only premium, ream-wrapped papers specifically engineered for digital printing. 2400 DPI full-color output on every job.
Fast turnaround — most jobs ship within 3–5 business days, with rush options available.
