A lot of brochures are developed with the Saddle-Stitch binding method. This technique uses printed sheets that are folded and nested one inside the other and then stapled through the fold line with wire staples. The staples travel through the folded crease from the outdoors and are clinched between the centermost pages. The result is a really simple yet professional looking document.
Regardless of its relative simplicity, saddle-stitch pamphlets often pose a difficulty for someone brand-new to graphic design. This is due to the fact that the page set-up for saddle-stitched brochures needs various techniques than for other types of bound books.
Pages Must Be in Multiples of 4
Saddle-stitched booklets are built of folded sheets. As such, each folded sheet signed up with within the completed booklet will form 4 pages of the pamphlet. This suggests the page count of every saddle-stitched booklet should constantly be several of four (4 ). It is not possible to create a 7-page, 10-page, or 25-page saddle-stitched booklet. All saddle-stitched pamphlets should contain 4 pages, 8 pages, 12 pages, 16 pages, 20 pages, 24 pages and so on. Even if a page in the booklet is blank, it still counts as a page.
Needless to say, creating the design file appropriately at the onset will assist enhance your booklet’s press run … saving time, effort, and expenditure for all included. The software application you utilize to produce the pamphlet will likely give you submit layout options, such as Reader Spreads or Printer Spreads. Because printing presses and production methods differ from printing shop to print shop, do not instantly establish your booklet file in a particular spread or configuration without very first consulting the printer you plan to utilize for producing your booklet.
reader-spreadsWhat is Reader Spreads?
As its name suggests, Reader Spreads show the pages in the order they will appear to the reader of the saddle-stitched booklet. Thus, Reader Spreads positions the booklet’s pages in rising mathematical order. The main purpose of Reader Spreads is to help imagine how the page design will look when the brochure is bound.
Illustration A shows how Reader Spreads will look for an 8-page saddle-stitched pamphlet. With the exception of the very first page and the last page, notice that the Reader Spreads present 2 opposing pages side-by-side (such as how pages 2 and 3, pages 4 and 5, and pages 6 and 7 are displayed in the illustration). However, sending a file in this way will likely trigger a big headache for your printer. This is since the pages of a saddle-stitched pamphlet aren’t actually printed in the arrangement shown in the Reader Spreads illustration.
For instance, the illustration reveals pages 2 and 3 ideal next to each other. However, 99% of the time pages 2 and 3 are not printed side-by-side. You can verify this by taking a look at pages 2 and 3 of practically any printed saddle-stitched pamphlet. These two pages will be on separate sheets. (The only exception is a 4-page saddle-stitched booklet, which will have pages 2 and 3 printed side by side).
What is Printer Spreads?
Printer Spreads show the pamphlet’s pages as they will in fact print side-by-side on a sheet (see Illustration B).
printer-spreadsUnlike Reader Spreads, the pages shown in Printer Spreads are not in numerical order. Instead, they are positioned in an arrangement that will enable them to wind up in the right mathematical order once the pages are folded and bound into a saddle-stitched booklet.
You can show this to yourself by producing a simple mock-up of an 8-page booklet. First, place one sheet of paper directly on top of another sheet. Keeping the two sheets together, fold them in half. The folded crease will form the pamphlet’s spine.
Position the mock-up so that the pamphlet’s spinal column is on your left and the open edges of the pages are on your right. Beginning with the really first page, use a pen or pencil to sequentially number each page of the booklet from 1 to 8.
Now, separate the two sheets and analyze them. You will see that page 8 is paired with page 1, page 2 is coupled with page 7, page 6 is coupled with page 3, and page 4 is paired with page 5 … similar to in the Printer Spreads illustration.
At this point, you may be believing that printers must choose Printer Spreads. However, that is not always the case. Depending on the task, some printers may be all right dealing with your printer spreads. But most of the printers will choose something else totally …
individual-pagesWhat Do A lot of Printers Choose?
The design spreads developed by your design software application may not be the same page plan that your printer will ultimately utilize to produce your brochures. This is specifically real if your brochures will be a bigger order that is produced on an offset printing press.
However, despite the order size or production technique, most printers will prefer that you do not send a file that contains two-page spreads. Instead, it is recommended that you set up your file as individual pages, presented one after the other, in the precise order they will appear in the finished brochure (see Illustration C).
By the way, if your saddle-stitched book is 32 pages in length, create one file containing all 32 pages … don’t submit 32 files with each file including a single page. Also, make sure your file includes every page in the book. Even if some pages are entirely blank, it is very important that they appear in the file to guarantee all of the pages get positioned in the appropriate order.
Sending your file as private pages instead of two-page spreads offers your printer a lot more flexibility, making it simpler for them to organize your book’s pages in the design that will provide the most ideal production run.
In addition to changing the page plan so that it matches the available production equipment, your printer will also have the ability to change the margins, permit page creep, and carry out other tweaks as needed to ensure your finished brochure will look its best.
To adjust your page layout, your printer will likely utilize special software, called imposition software application.
What is Imposition?
Imposition refers to the procedure of organizing a book’s pages prior to printing so that once the printed sheets are folded, bound, and cut, the pages will appear in the right order.
8-page-imposition pages of books are frequently printed on big sheets of paper, with multiple pages printed on each side of these sheets. Called Signatures, these sheets will be folded and trimmed after they are printed. Printing several pages on big sheets accelerates the printing process, simplifies the binding operation, and minimizes the quantity of paper waste.
Illustration D shows an example of how a printer may enforce the pages of an 8-page saddle-stitched pamphlet. Notice that the pages appear out of order, with some upside-down. Nevertheless, this setup will produce pages with the appropriate orientation, and in the correct series, once the booklet is printed, folded, bound, and trimmed.
In the example shown, 4 pages will print on the front of a master sheet and 4 pages will print on the back. After printing, the two-sided sheet will be folded in half horizontally (so that page 3 contacts page 2, and page 6 contacts page 7). Then the sheet is folded once again vertically (so that page 4 satisfies page 5).
The booklet will be saddle-stitched (stapled) along the fold that forms its spinal column. After the pages (and cover) are accompanied staples, all remaining folds are cut off to enable the pages to open easily.
Should the Brochure’s Cover be sent out as a Separate File?
The majority of saddle-stitched books have a cover that is made from a much heavier weight of paper than the interior pages. If this holds true with your job, you have 2 options. You can send the cover layout as a different file or you can consist of the cover in the exact same file as the pages. As long as the cover is plainly recognized, either method will work.
That said, some saddle-stitched books are “self-cover” books, which implies the paper for the cover is the precise very same type and density as the paper used for the interior pages. If this describes your pamphlet, it will be better if you consist of the cover in the exact same file as the pages.
Likewise, whether your layout consists of printing that will go on the inside of the booklet’s cover or the within cover will be left blank, make sure this has clearly interacted with those getting your file(s). Finally, make sure to extend any bleed locations 1/8″ past the completed page measurements and to consist of crop marks. As far as the kind of file to send, a high-resolution PDF is normally preferred by a lot of printers.
