Custom Brochure Booklets
Custom brochure booklets from 100 copies, saddle-stitched in any multiple of four pages. Short enough to be read in one sitting, substantial enough to be kept, and printed on a stock that suits whether you are selling a product or explaining a service.
Longer than a leaflet, shorter than anything anyone finishes
- Binding
- Saddle stitch, two staples; 8–48 pages in multiples of four
- Text stock
- 120–170 gsm coated silk, gloss or uncoated
- Cover
- 250–300 gsm, matte or gloss lamination, spot UV; self-cover option
Get a price for Brochure Booklets
Send the size and quantity — we reply the same working day with a price, a dieline and a date. Artwork optional at this stage.
- Free dielineThe flat drawing comes with the quote, before you commit.
- Proof before pressNothing is printed until you have seen it laid on the dieline.
- Die kept for reordersTooling is paid once. Every reorder skips straight to press.
- Quoted in four marketsUS, UK, Canada and Australia, in the delivery currency.
Choosing the page count honestly
Booklets are almost always specified longer than they need to be, because a page count is agreed before the copy is written and then the copy is stretched to fill it. The result is a 24-page booklet with 14 pages of content, and readers can tell.
Write first, then count. A tight 12-page booklet that is read to the end does more than a padded 24 that is put down at page six, and it costs less to print and to post.
| 8 pages | One idea, well made — a service, a product line, an event |
|---|---|
| 12–16 pages | The workhorse: a company overview or a product family |
| 24–32 pages | A range with real depth, or a technical explanation |
| 36–48 pages | Approaching a catalog; ask whether it should be one |
Stitched, and what that gives you
Saddle stitching puts two staples through the spine fold. The booklet opens completely flat, which means a photograph or a diagram can run across the center spread without anything disappearing into a gutter — the one real design advantage a booklet has over a bound document.
It also has a limit. Beyond roughly 48 pages on a normal stock the spine bulks, the inner pages creep at the fore-edge and the staples strain, and the format wants perfect binding instead. The move from one to the other, and what changes with it, is on our catalog printing page for longer page counts.
Design the center spread deliberately. It is the only spread that lies perfectly flat, and in most booklets it is wasted on ordinary body copy.
Stock, weight and the feel of the thing
On booklets under 12 pages the stock is doing most of the work of feeling substantial, because there is not enough paper for the page count to do it.
- 130–150 gsm silk text with a 250 gsm cover — the standard, and right for most work.
- 170 gsm text on a short booklet, which makes an 8-page feel substantial rather than thin.
- Uncoated 120–140 gsm for a service business selling judgment rather than product shots.
- A self-cover — the same stock throughout — which is cheaper and reads as a report rather than a brochure.
Covers, and the four pages people actually look at
Most readers look at the front cover, flip to the back, then open to a spread at random. Those three moments carry more weight than the carefully ordered narrative inside, and the back cover in particular is usually wasted on a logo when it is the second-most looked-at page in the booklet.
A matte laminated cover handles posting and repeated handling; a spot gloss over one image gives shine where it earns something. For a booklet that is handed over as part of a set rather than posted alone, the carrier is our pocket folders sized for letter documents.
Short runs, and printing what you need
Digital printing means 100 booklets is a real order rather than an awkward one, and that changes how literature should be planned: print what this quarter needs, correct what is wrong, and print again, rather than ordering 5,000 and living with an error for two years. The cost per copy is higher and the total is far lower.
Above roughly a thousand copies litho takes over and the arithmetic inverts. We quote both without being asked, on the same reasoning as our note on short-run printing costs.
Brochure Booklets — specification
The rows that are specific to this build first, then what applies to every job we run. Anything not listed is a question, not a limit — send the brief.
This build
- Binding
- Saddle stitch, two staples; 8–48 pages in multiples of four
- Text stock
- 120–170 gsm coated silk, gloss or uncoated
- Cover
- 250–300 gsm, matte or gloss lamination, spot UV; self-cover option
- Sizes
- A4, A5, DL, 8.5 x 11 in, square; custom trims
- Digital from 100; litho above roughly 1,000
- Extras
- Perforated reply page, French folds, belly band
- Minimum
- 100 copies
On every job
- Print process
- Digital below about a thousand, offset above it. Both sides as standard on cards, tags and leaflets.
- Color
- CMYK with spot colors for a brand match. Uncoated and cotton stocks print noticeably lighter than coated ones.
- Tolerance
- Trim plus or minus 1 mm guillotined, plus or minus 0.5 mm die-cut. Anything over about 170gsm is creased before folding.
- Tooling
- A die only where the piece is shaped, perforated or drilled, made once and kept. A plain rectangle needs none.
- Food contact
- Food-safe inks on menus and counter print that will be handled where food is served.
- Sustainability
- Uncoated and unlaminated stocks recycle without separation, and FSC papers are available across the range.
- Artwork
- Vector PDF or AI, 3 mm bleed, 4 mm safe area, fonts outlined. We check every file and send a proof before press.
- Dieline
- Supplied free with the quote, before you commit. Yours whether or not you order.
- Sample
- A plain unprinted sample at the finished size on request, for fit and construction.
- Reorders
- Skip the tooling and go straight to press at a lower unit price.
- Lead time
- Quoted with the price against your fill date rather than promised before we have seen the spec.
- Markets
- United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia — priced in the delivery currency, freight included.
Boards and films we build brochure booklets on
Sheet print is judged in the hand more than a box is: the weight, the surface and whether a pen works on it. These are the stocks we run for cards, folders, leaflets and stationery.
Coated card 300–400gsm
The workhorse. Sharp full-color print, matte or gloss, laminated where it is handled. Does not take a pen unless the finish is matte.
300–400gsmUncoated card
No clay coat. Colors read softer and warmer, a deboss goes deeper, and it writes on with anything. Photographs lose punch.
300–400gsmCotton and textured card
Soft, thick and fibrous. Takes a deep blind deboss and reads as an invitation. Foil sits beautifully; four-color does not.
400–700gsmDuplexed card
Two sheets bonded, often with a colored core, for a very thick card with a visible colored edge. The heaviest thing we print.
600–900gsmText paper 100–170gsm
Leaflets, folder inners and booklet pages. Folds without cracking and takes a full-color print on both faces.
100–170gsmManila and kraft paper
Unbleached, tan, and cheap. One or two colors read well; white ink gives a light mark. Envelopes, folders and tags.
90–300gsmSynthetic stock
Polypropylene sheet for tags and cards that get wet, torn or handled outdoors. Prints like paper and does not soften.
200–400 micronBoard-backed
A printed face laminated to grayboard, for a rigid card, a folder back or a display that has to stand up on its own.
1–2 mm boardNot sure which? Say what goes in it and where it is sold — the material follows from that. Our notes on recycled, recyclable and compostable cover which claims each stock can honestly carry.
- 01
Send what you have
A dimension, a photograph beside a ruler, or the product itself. No technical drawing needed — that part is ours.
- 02
We quote and draw
A price, a dieline and a date come back together. If a different build would suit the product better, that is in the reply too.
- 03
Approve the dieline
The flat drawing is yours to check: which panel is the front, where the folds fall, how deep the cavity really is.
- 04
Artwork on the dieline
You place your design on the flat we sent, or we place it for you, and you see a proof before anything goes to press.
- 05
A sample if you want one
A plain unprinted sample at the finished size shows fit and construction — the things a drawing cannot.
- 06
Cut, printed, shipped
The die is cut once and kept, so every reorder skips the tooling and goes straight to press at a lower unit price.
Format
Vector PDF or AI where possible. Raster artwork at 300dpi at final size, in CMYK.
Bleed
3 mm past every trim line, so a fraction of drift on the cutter never leaves a white edge.
Safe area
Keep type and anything important 4 mm inside the cut and away from every fold.
Color
Convert to CMYK before sending. Uncoated stock prints lighter; a spot color is the only exact match.
Fonts
Outline them or supply the files. A missing font substitutes silently and the proof will not match.
Barcodes
On a light, matte, unvarnished patch with the quiet zone clear — a code on gloss fails the scanner.
Not set up that way? Send it anyway — fixing a file is a short conversation, and we check every one before press. Our guide to preparing print files covers each point.
Sheet print takes the widest range of finishes of anything we make.
Matte lamination
Soft, fingerprint-resistant, and it still takes a pen. The default on anything handled.
Gloss lamination
Maximum color depth. Shows every fingerprint and refuses a ballpoint.
Hot foil
Gold, rose gold, silver, holographic or a color. The block is small so the die is cheap.
Emboss and deboss
Deepest on uncoated and cotton stocks; shallow and prone to cracking on gloss coated.
Spot UV
A gloss shape on a matte laminate. Best on a dark ground where the contrast reads.
Edge paint and colored core
Color on the cut edge of a thick or duplexed card. Only seen when the card is picked up, which is the point.
Soft-touch
A velvet laminate on a cover or a folder. Marks on white; excellent on dark.
Uncoated and textured
No film at all. Writes on, debosses deeply, and reads as considered rather than cheap.
Not sure which suits the shelf it sells from? Say where the product is sold and we suggest one — our notes on specialty finishes show them on real boxes.
Sizing printed sheets, folds and the grain: brochure booklets
A printed piece is specified flat and finished folded, and the difference between the two is where mistakes live. Send the finished size you want and we work back to the flat.
- Finished size
- The size after folding and trimming. A6, A5, A4, DL, US letter and legal are standard; anything else is cut on its own die.
- Bleed and safe area
- 3 mm of artwork past every trim edge, and nothing important within 4 mm inside it. The guillotine drifts by a fraction on every stack.
- Grain direction
- Paper folds cleanly along the grain and cracks across it. We set the grain to the fold, which is why a sheet is not simply cut from the biggest sheet available.
- Fold allowance
- On a roll fold or a gate fold, the inner panels are cut a millimeter or two shorter so the piece closes flat.
- Creasing
- Anything over about 170gsm is creased before folding. Without it the fold cracks and the coating flakes along the line.
- Trim tolerance
- Plus or minus 1 mm guillotined, plus or minus 0.5 mm die-cut.
Not sure your numbers are right? Send the product dimensions rather than the box dimensions and we work the box out — the full method is in our guide to measuring for a box.
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Spec your Brochure Booklets
Pick a shape, type a size, choose a stock and a finish. The preview on the left redraws as you go, and the spec lands with us exactly as you set it.
Frequently asked questions
Got a question about brochure booklets? The answers below cover what we get asked most. If yours is not here, send it with a brief, message us on WhatsApp, or call +1 503-461-4788 — we reply the same working day.
Why must pages be a multiple of four?
Each printed sheet folds into four pages. A count that is not divisible by four gets blank pages added, so plan them rather than discover them.
How many pages should my booklet be?
As many as the finished copy needs. Booklets are usually specified before the writing and then padded, and readers notice.
What is the maximum for saddle stitch?
About 48 pages on normal stock. Beyond that the spine bulks and the format wants perfect binding.
Does it open flat?
Yes, completely — which is why an image can run across the center spread without disappearing into the gutter.
Which stock should I choose?
130–150 gsm silk text with a 250 gsm cover for most work. Go heavier on short booklets so they do not feel thin.
What is a self-cover?
The cover printed on the same stock as the text, with no heavier sheet. Cheaper, and it reads as a report rather than a brochure.
Should the cover be laminated?
For anything posted or handled repeatedly, yes. Matte survives handling; gloss shows scuffs quickly.
Can I print only 100?
Yes, digitally, with no plates or make-ready. It is often the better plan — print what the quarter needs and correct before reprinting.
When is litho cheaper?
Usually above about a thousand copies, depending on pages and colors. We quote both.
Can you add a perforated reply page?
Yes, perforated and bound in, so it tears out cleanly without loosening the staples.
Can you match a brand color exactly?
Closely with a litho spot color; approximately on digital. We will tell you which before you commit rather than after.
Do you send a proof?
A digital proof always, and a printed proof on request — worth it whenever color matters.
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