Guidelines for Booklet Files

When setting up your booklet for print, here are some things to keep in mind that will make the process easier for everyone.

Booklet Size

We have three standard sizes for booklets: letter-size, half-letter, and half-legal.

Full sheet size… …folded in half:
11 X 17 (tabloid) 8.5 X 11 (letter)
8.5 X 11 (letter) 8.5 X 5.5 (half-letter)
8.5 X 14 (legal) 8.5 X 7 (half-legal)

If your booklet is a non-standard size, don’t worry! We can print that too. You can email us at info@businessnow.ca for a quote on your custom booklet project.

Booklet Length

Saddle-stitched booklets are folded in half and then stapled in the center, which means that every sheet, after folding, will have four different pages printed on it. Because of this, the number of pages your booklet has must be divisible by 4. If it’s not, there may be a couple of blank pages included to bring your page count to the required number.

A 4-page booklet

4 pages

An 8-page booklet

8 pages

If you want the insides of the covers to be blank, make sure to include the blank pages in your PDF file.

Booklet layout Page Layout

We can saddle-stitch booklets with a maximum of 100 pages. If your booklet is longer than this, then we recommend looking into our spiral binding options.

Page Setup

Booklet set up as pages

Booklet set up as pages

Booklet set up as spreads

Booklet set up as spreads

When preparing your file for print, please ensure that your booklet is formatted as pages, not spreads, and that they are in the correct reading order. Our system is set up to format your pages the correct way for printing.

Bleeds

Anytime that your booklet requires printing right to the edge of the page, then bleeds are required. Because our printer cannot print to the edge of the sheet, we print your booklet on a slightly larger page and then cut it down to the requested size. A bleed is the extra print that gets cut away, to ensure that no strange white margins end up in your final product.

A booklet that does not require bleeds

A booklet that does not require bleeds

A booklet that requires bleeds

A booklet that requires bleeds

Setting up a Booklet with Bleeds

When your booklet project requires bleeds, please ensure that your images and backgrounds extend an extra 0.1” on all sides past the required booklet size. For instance, for a finished booklet size of 8.5” x 11”, your pages should be 8.7” x 11.2”. Please also make sure that all necessary content is at least 3/8” away from the edge of your final page size.

Setting up a Booklet without Bleeds

If your booklet project does not require bleeds, then please just make sure that all necessary content is at least 3/8” away from the edge of your final page size.

File Format

Finally, please ensure that your file is in PDF format, with no password protection.