Saddle stitch
Folded sheets are nested and stapled through the spine. It is the most economical binding and suits programmes, catalogues, magazines and short booklets. Page counts must be multiples of four, because each folded sheet makes four pages. It works best for thinner documents; very thick booklets bulge at the spine.
Perfect binding
Pages are glued into a wraparound cover with a square spine, like a paperback. It looks professional and allows spine text – good for thicker catalogues, annual reports and theses. It does not lie flat when open, and needs enough pages to create a spine.
Wire and coil binding
Holes are punched along the edge and a wire or plastic coil is threaded through. The document opens flat and can fold back on itself, which makes it ideal for manuals, training workbooks, recipe books, calendars and reports people work from. A clear front cover and board back protect the pages.
How to choose
- Short and economical: saddle stitch.
- Thick and polished, with a spine: perfect binding.
- Must lie flat while in use: wire or coil.
- Draft or review copies: coil is quick and practical.
Supply pages in reading order as single pages, not spreads, and leave a wider margin on the binding edge for perfect and wire binding.
Turnaround and ordering
Binding adds a finishing step, so bound items usually suit Standard or Economy. Order in brochures and booklets or office printing, read booklet printing, or request a quote for unusual page counts.
How to order your printing: set up the item in the shop and the price updates as you change the options. Attach your artwork at checkout – or ask for design help, which is charged separately. Payment is by Yoco card payment or EFT, in full for orders under R5,000 and with a 65% deposit from R5,000 up. When it is ready, pick it up at our Rivonia shop on a weekday between 8:30 AM and 5:00 PM, or have it couriered to you at a quoted cost.
