Create Page-Turning Custom Booklets


If you need something nifty to impress and educate your target audience in one go, you can never go wrong with custom booklets.

Don’t let the size or format fool you – they may not be as imposing as billboards, or as easily digestible as flyers, but with the right design you can get anyone to sit down and flip through your booklet.

When you use custom booklets for promotional purposes, you’ll have enough room not just to highlight your sales pitch but also to feature your products, services, and even your brand story. You can also use custom booklets as training manuals, employee handbooks, and as event giveaways.

We offer several customization options for booklets here at PrintRunner. You can get yours in three different sizes, choose between three binding options, and select from a wide range of page numbers. We also offer different paper stocks for both the cover and inserts. Lastly, we can get your custom booklets ready for shipping in as fast as 3 business days, or 8 business days maximum.


Make Your Custom Booklets Worth Grabbing


What’s great about custom booklets is they pack a lot of value despite their compact size. Regardless of the number of sheets you are putting in your booklet, there’s a lot of room to leave the reader in awe every time they turn a page. Plus, they do more than just impress your market – they educate them as well!

Let PrintRunner help you create the best booklets for your business. Here’s what we offer:

Three Booklet Sizes


  1. 5.5” x 8.5” is a popular choice and similar to A5 paper in size. This is a suitable choice for just about any booklet project.
  2. 11” x 8.5” is the largest size for booklets and is the size of US letter paper. It’s perfect for marketing materials with plenty of visuals.
  3. 6” x 6” is the smallest available size we offer. This eye-catching, square-shaped booklet is perfect for launching new products, and they’re easy to hand out at trade shows and events.

Three Binding Options


  1. Saddle stitch uses two staples to fasten the booklet’s folded spine. This allows your booklet to open flat at the center. Ideal for booklets with minimal pages.
  2. Wire-O uses double wire binding through a row of punched holes. Suitable for booklets created for everyday use.
  3. Perfect binding is gluing the pages together to the cover’s spine, giving your booklets a polished look. The minimum page count for perfect binding is 48 pages.

For orders of 250 booklets or more, we also offer three-hole drilling so you can easily insert booklets into binders. Choose from three hole sizes: 3/16,” 5/16,” and 1/4".

Binding can be placed on the left side or along the top of your booklet. For added protection, custom booklets can be shrink-wrapped and bundled in sets of 25 or 50.

Wide sheet count

Choose from 8 to 96 pages. Be sure to include four cover pages in your total page count.

Different printing styles

You can choose full-color printing on all pages of your custom booklet (cover page and inside pages), or black and white printing for the inner covers and inside pages.



Best Practices When Printing Custom Booklets


You have worked long and hard on your booklet’s design and content, so don’t let your time and effort go to waste by following these booklet printing tips:

Don’t forget to leave room for the binding!

While designing the pages of your booklet, be mindful of the binding area to avoid cutting off important information or artwork during printing. This is especially important for perfect binding as images or text that are too close to the spine may be difficult to see.

Use high-resolution images.

Avoid blurry or pixelated visuals on your booklet by providing high-resolution images and a layout that is set to at least 300 dpi.

Choose the right paper and cardstock for your pages.

Heavier stocks feel more luxurious, but using too many pages of thick cardstock will make your booklet more difficult to close especially if you bind them using saddle stitching. Ideally, inner pages should be thinner than cover pages as the latter need to be durable.

Choose a high gloss finish to make your designs look vivid, or select matte if you prefer a more modern, elegant look for your custom-printed booklet.



Frequently Asked Questions on Booklet Printing


The type of paper and cardstock you choose depend on your custom booklet’s purpose. However, you should choose thinner paper for your inside pages and use something thicker for your cover pages. For inside pages, we recommend 100 lb. glossy paper because it is heftier than regular copy paper. For cover pages, we recommend the 10 pt. glossy cardstock. For even more durability, choose 14 pt. glossy cardstock for your cover pages.

Yes, you don’t need to add content to all your pages. Just be sure to include the blank pages in your print file.

If your booklet has a low page count, saddle stitching is the most cost-effective binding option. If you want your booklets writable, Wire-O binding is best. Perfect binding is an excellent way to present your booklets in a polished, professional way.

Use our free downloadable templates to get started on your custom booklets. These are blank templates that come with bleed and trim lines to guide you as you lay out your booklet design. Our templates are listed according to size, binding, and orientation and are available in JPEG, PDF, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, and Microsoft Publisher formats.

Yes, we can. Make sure to request the complimentary proof before checking out your order so we can send you a PDF file via email. Don’t forget to get back to us with your approval! If you requested proof, we would only go ahead with printing once we get the go signal from you.

Please save your design file in the following formats: PDF, TIF, TIFF, IND, INDD, ZIP, or SIT. Our maximum upload size is 200 MB and we also require your artwork to be in CMYK with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi. Take note that if you submit your file in RGB, we will convert it to CMYK which may cause color shifting.

We follow a minimum order quantity of 25 pieces for custom booklets. However, you can request a free sample kit which contains PrintRunner’s bestselling print products, a swatch kit of our paper and cardstocks, as well as a folding and sizing information sheet.

Our standard print turnaround time for custom booklets is 8 business days, but we can also get them printed and ready to ship out in just 3 or 5 business days.

Paper Options


70 lb. Uncoated Paper

  • Two times thicker than regular copy paper
  • Extremely foldable
  • 100% sustainably sourced
  • Recommended paper for uncoated, writable surface


80 lb. Glossy Paper

  • Thinner than 100 lb. paper
  • Similar thickness and quality to a magazine page
  • Foldable, substantial for double-sided printing
  • 100% sustainably sourced
  • Smooth, glossy coating adds more brightness to colors

80 lb. Matte Paper

  • Thinner than 100 lb. paper
  • Similar thickness and quality to a magazine page
  • Foldable, substantial for double-sided printing
  • 100% sustainably sourced
  • Matte coating creates an elegant and subdued effect

100 lb. Glossy Paper

  • Foldable and durable, yet lightweight
  • 100% sustainably sourced
  • Smooth, glossy coating adds more brightness to colors
  • Surface writability is limited

100 lb. Matte Paper

  • Increased weight helps withstand repeated handling
  • 100% sustainably sourced
  • Matte coating creates an elegant and subdued effect
  • Writable surface

10 pt. Glossy Cardstock

  • Thickness is similar to cardstocks used in book covers
  • Sturdier than paper but bendable enough for folding
  • 100% sustainably sourced
  • Soft gloss finish prevents fading
  • Limited surface writability

10 pt. Matte Cardstock

  • Thickness is similar to cardstocks used in book covers
  • Sturdier than paper but bendable enough for folding
  • 100% sustainably sourced
  • Matte laminate adds a soft texture and muted effect
  • Writable surface

14 pt. Glossy Cardstock

  • Stiffer than regular paper, more flexible than paper board
  • Sustainably sourced
  • Sleek, fade resistant coating with a soft shine
  • Writability limited to some pens and permanent markers

14 pt. High Gloss UV Front, Glossy Back Cardstock

  • Stiffer than regular paper, more flexible than paper board
  • Sustainably sourced
  • Slick, high gloss coating adds protection from scuffs and scratches
  • Writability limited to some pens and permanent markers

14 pt. Uncoated Cardstock

  • Stiffer than regular paper, more flexible than paper board
  • Sustainably sourced
  • Uncoated surface provides a smooth, natural feel
  • Easy to write on with any pen

Binding Options



Saddle and Wire-o Booklet Binding Options

Saddle stitch is the more common binding method of the two. The spine is wired from the outside going in to hold all the pages in place. Pages would have the appearance of being stapled together in the middle. The binding appears more seamless compared to wire-o since the wires are not as visible.

Wire-o binding makes use of wire hooks that are then shut after they’re inserted in punched holes along the booklet's spine. Aside from looking more sophisticated, pages can be turned easier and can be laid flat while open.

Download Blank Print Templates

Set up your print file with correct trim and folding lines by downloading a blank template for your preferred design software. 

Final Dimensions
Description
Download
5.5" x 8.5"
Perfect Binding on Left Side
5.5" x 8.5"
Wire-O on Left Side
5.5" x 8.5"
Saddle Stitched on Left Side
6" x 6"
Saddle Stitched on Top Side
6" x 6"
Perfect Binding on Left Side
6" x 6"
Saddle Stitched on Left Side
6" x 6"
Wire-O on Left Side
6" x 6"
Wire-O on Top Side
8.5" x 11"
Saddle Stitched on Left Side
8.5" x 11"
Wire-O on Left Side
8.5" x 11"
Perfect Binding on Left Side
8.5" x 5.5"
Saddle Stitched on Top Side
8.5" x 5.5"
Wire-O on Top Side
8.5" x 5.5"
Perfect Binding on Left Side
11" x 8.5"
Perfect Binding on Left Side
11" x 8.5"
Saddle Stitched on Top Side
11" x 8.5"
Wire-O on Top Side
Reviews
4.6
Out of 5.0
  • 5 Star
    (6)
  • 4 Star
    (4)
  • 3 Star
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Overall Rating
100%
of customers that buy this product give it a 4 or 5-Star rating.
April 30, 2015 by Jack
“PrintRunner has now completed several jobs for us... a couple thousand booklets and bookmarks. The price is fair, the quality of printing is excellent. I couldn't be happier.”
April 19, 2021 by Shar22 ( OR )
“The quality of the print job looks great on these. Unfortunately I made my design span across the pages, but they don't line up perfectly because the pages weren't stapled consistently. Some booklets are stapled better than others. For the price point I expected better.”
May 18, 2018 by DDot
“I ordered 16 page of booklet, shipment was 11 boxes, few box has 175, 178 and may be 180, one of them is not full as 180, I did not want to count all the boxes, I think it is under 2000. I know it is normal. It's ok. However, few boxes' edge were ripped, no damage, just the corner were wrinkled a little. That's no big deal but I think you might want to know.”
September 15, 2015 by Pastor Jody
“My church recently had its 50th Anniversary and we wanted to produce a booklet worthy of the occasion. Although some of the online instructions weren't as clear as I think they should have been, the service I received from your staff was high quality, and they helped me modify the booklet to fit your specifications. When I received the finished product, I was delighted! I commend the staff at Printrunner for providing such a wonderful product at a very affordable cost. Thank you.”
July 19, 2015 by ErinM
“We ordered 4,000 full color mini booklets, spiral bound on top and heavy on graphics. The quality and clarity of the printing was great. Once I approved the proof the printing and delivery was quick. My only feedback is to be aware that the "covers" are the same weight of paper as the inside pages. Not sturdier like you might expect. But for the price and overall results I'm very happy with the final product.”