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instantprint prints stapled booklets, also called saddle stitched booklets, from 8 to 72 printed pages in 7 sizes, from £45.39 for 25 excluding VAT. Choose 90gsm to 170gsm inner pages with a self cover or a 350gsm card cover, then approve your artwork by 6:30pm to meet your chosen delivery date.
Booklets aren’t a side line here. Over 40 million books leave instantprint’s 150,000 sq ft factory in Rotherham every year, stitched on Horizon StitchLiners or Müller Martini Prinova Digitals running at up to 9,000 books per hour. Programmes, brochures, menus, magazines: if it folds and staples, it’s made here.
ExcellentTrustpilot|TrustScore 4.8* 21,000+ reviews| Size | Finished size |
|---|---|
| A6 | 105 × 148mm |
| A5 | 148 × 210mm |
| A4 | 210 × 297mm |
| DL | 99 × 210mm |
| 148mm Square | 148 × 148mm |
| 210mm Square | 210 × 210mm |
| Custom Size | 99–252mm wide, 148–303mm high |
Sizes shown are finished, trimmed dimensions; add 3mm bleed on every edge for artwork.
Five steps from blank document to saddle stitched booklet. The page count trips up more people than anything else, so the planner on the right does the maths for you.
Pick the size that suits how your booklet will be read and carried, then set up your document at that finished size plus 3mm bleed on every edge.
Every sheet folds to make 4 printed pages, so stapled booklets come in multiples of 4, from 8pp to 72pp. The front and back covers are included in that count.
Silk suits most booklets, uncoated is for pages people write on, and gloss makes photos pop. Add a 250gsm or 350gsm cover for a thicker, more premium feel.
Supply one PDF with single pages in reading order, from front cover to back cover. Don’t supply spreads: instantprint arranges your pages onto sheets.
Add your booklet to the basket and upload your PDF. The proofing tool checks for common problems and builds a proof. Check it page by page and approve by 6:30pm.
Stapled booklets come in multiples of 4 pages. If your page count falls short, add extra pages to reach the next multiple: more designed pages, blank pages or lined pages for notes. Get creative.
Fancy getting a bit geeky about how books are made? Enter the pages in your document, covers included, and play around. The planner shows how instantprint works out which artwork goes where, how many sheets make up your booklet and whether you need extra pages.
Perfect bound books · Wire bound books
Order 12pp and add 2 blank pages, usually just before the back cover. The outer sheet is your cover, on the same paper as the inner pages.
Layup, or imposition, is how printers arrange your pages onto larger sheets so that once they’re printed double-sided, folded and stapled, every page reads in the right order. That’s why your front and back covers print side by side.
Each row is one sheet: its outside, then its inside. B = blank page. You still upload single pages in reading order. instantprint’s prepress team handles the layup for you.
Many online printers send booklets to print outsourced. instantprint prints, saddle stitches and trims every stapled booklet in-house in Rotherham, South Yorkshire on a line built for one job: turning printed sheets into finished books, fast. There’s no single route through the factory: instantprint matches the production method to your job, choosing digital inkjet, HP Indigo or Heidelberg litho print by run length, page count, stock and finish. The full plant list is below.
Collation towers feed 4-page sections into the accumulator, which knocks them up square before stapling through the spine.
Camera and barcode checks match every section, and the line runs at up to 9,000 books per hour.
Works inline with the StitchLiners. It scans the barcode on each cover and sets itself to the finished size, with no operator input.
High-speed inkjet press that prints inner pages in sharp full colour CMYK.
Covers are printed digitally on HP Indigo or lithographically on Heidelberg, depending on the run length.
The newest innovation in printing technology: litho quality and speed with a digital set-up, for sharp inner pages.
From printed sheet to finished book in one continuous line. See how instantprint collates 4-page sections, stitches them through the spine and trims every booklet to size in Rotherham.
Every instantprint booklet is printed in full colour on FSC® certified white stock. Pick the paper by what your reader will do with it: flick through, write in or keep.
Smooth with a soft sheen. Sharp text, vivid images and the all-round choice for brochures, programmes and magazines. 150gsm silk is the most popular inner page.
Shop Silk →Natural feel that absorbs ink, so pens and pencils work. Use it for workbooks, choir music, training manuals and forms. 90gsm is the lightest, most economical option.
Shop Uncoated →High shine that makes colours more vibrant. Best for image-heavy catalogues, portfolios and lookbooks.
Shop Gloss →
The right size and stock for the six jobs instantprint saddle stitches most often. Each spec below is the combination instantprint customers choose most for that job, so it’s a safe place to start.
Fits a bag or a seat pocket and survives a night of flicking through.
Room for product photography, price lists and specs on every spread.
Keep customers in the loop with launches, offers and news.
For funerals, weddings and christenings, where the date can’t move.
A multi-page menu for a big range, or a slim DL drinks list for the bar.
Writable pages for training, instructions and children’s activity books.
Stapling is the fastest and most cost-effective binding for up to 72 pages. Past that, or for a printed spine, step up.
| Binding | Page count | Spine | Lays flat | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stapled (saddle stitched) | 8pp to 72pp, multiples of 4 | Folded, no printed spine | Nearly | Programmes, brochures, menus, newsletters |
| Perfect bound (glued) Shop perfect bound books → | From 32pp | Square, printable spine | No | Catalogues, reports, handbooks |
| Wire bound Shop wire bound books → | Higher page counts | Metal wire loop | Fully, pages turn 360° | Manuals, planners, training packs |
Print jargon, busted. The nine terms that come up most when ordering a stapled, or saddle stitched, booklet.
Real reviews from Trustpilot, the independent review platform. Rating last checked 15 Oct 2026.
We had been let down badly by another company for our Show Programmes (booklets). We uploaded the artwork at 3:30pm last night to Instaprint for their next day delivery and they arrived 10:…
Aleah who is part of the office team is amazing, dealt with a mishap extremely well and very efficiently. Will definitely keep on using Instant Print because of her.
Excellent service, fantastic quality of product and super fast turnaround 5*
Yes, a stapled booklet and a saddle stitched booklet are exactly the same product. Saddle stitching is the print industry name, because the folded sheets sit over a saddle-shaped arm while wire staples are driven through the spine. instantprint calls them stapled booklets to keep things jargon free, and binds every one on Horizon StitchLiners at its factory in Rotherham. So whether you search for stapled, saddle stitched or staple bound booklets, you’re looking for the same thing.
“pp” stands for printed pages, and it counts every side of paper that carries print, including the front and back cover. One sheet folded in half makes 4 printed pages, so an 8pp booklet is simply 2 sheets nested together. On instantprint stapled booklets, the cover always accounts for 4 of your printed pages: the front, inside front, inside back and back.
Stapled booklets have to be in multiples of 4 because each sheet is folded in the middle to make 4 printed pages, then the sheets are nested and stapled through the fold. That means a stapled booklet can only be 8pp, 12pp, 16pp and so on, up to 72pp. instantprint can’t print a 10pp or 14pp stapled booklet, so if your page count falls between multiples, add blank, lined or extra designed pages to reach the next multiple of 4.
Yes, the cover is included in the page count. On a self-cover booklet the cover is simply the outer sheet, so a 12pp booklet has 4 cover pages and 8 inner pages. If you choose a separate 250gsm or 350gsm cover, instantprint still counts those 4 cover pages in the total you select on the product page.
instantprint stapled booklets run from a minimum of 8pp to a maximum of 72pp, in steps of 4. Beyond 72 pages, staples can’t hold the spine securely, so the better choice is perfect bound books, which start from 32 pages, or wire bound books. Below 8 pages, a folded leaflet is usually the better and cheaper option.
If your document has 10 pages, round up to the next multiple of 4 and add blank pages. A 10 page document becomes a 12pp booklet with 2 blanks, usually placed just before the back cover. You could also use those spare pages for notes, contact details or an extra advert. The page planner on this instantprint page shows exactly how many blanks you need and how your pages sit on each sheet.
Self cover means the cover is printed on the same paper as the inside pages, so the whole booklet has one weight and feel. It’s the most cost-effective option and the quickest to produce, which makes it a good fit for newsletters and booklets you plan to post. If you want a thicker, more premium cover, instantprint offers separate 250gsm or 350gsm silk covers.
Inside pages for instantprint stapled booklets run from 90gsm uncoated up to 170gsm. Silk comes in 115gsm, 150gsm and 170gsm, uncoated in 90gsm and 120gsm, and gloss in 130gsm. 150gsm silk is the most popular inner page at instantprint. Because 170gsm is the heaviest inner stock, choose a 250gsm or 350gsm cover if you want the booklet to feel more substantial.
The most popular choice is 150gsm silk inner pages with a 350gsm silk cover, which gives a clear, premium contrast in thickness. A 250gsm cover is a sturdy middle ground if you want some extra weight without the full premium feel. Self cover keeps the price and the postage weight down, which suits newsletters and mailed booklets. Whichever cover you choose, instantprint can laminate it in matt, gloss or velvet.
Yes, as long as you choose uncoated paper with no lamination. Uncoated stock absorbs ink, so ballpoint pens and pencils work well, which makes it the right choice for workbooks, choir music, training manuals and forms. Silk and gloss pages are smoother, so pens can smudge, and laminated covers can’t be written on with a normal pen.
Every instantprint stapled booklet is printed in full colour CMYK on white stock, and black and white artwork prints perfectly on the same presses at the same price. Coloured paper isn’t available. If you want a cream, blue or orange look, add a coloured background to your artwork and run it into the 3mm bleed, and it will print edge to edge.
Yes, gold foil, silver foil and single-sided Spot UV are all available on instantprint stapled booklet covers. Spot UV needs matt or velvet lamination, and foil needs a 250gsm or 350gsm silk cover with matt lamination. Keep foil at least 6mm from the edge. Embellished booklets take at least 4 working days and can’t use express turnarounds, so allow extra time if you’re working to a deadline.
instantprint only buys paper from FSC® certified suppliers, so the paper in your stapled booklets comes from responsibly managed sources, and the business holds ISO 14001:2015 certification for environmental management. Recycled paper isn’t currently offered for booklets, and carbon footprint figures aren’t available per product. The instantprint sustainability hub explains how the Rotherham factory cuts waste, including 100% waste elimination in the inkjet stream.
Supply one multi-page PDF at 300dpi in CMYK, with 3mm bleed and a 3mm safe zone on every page, and fonts embedded or outlined. Set the pages up as single pages in reading order, from the front cover through to the back cover. Don’t supply spreads or printer’s pairs, because instantprint imposes the pages onto the print sheets for you.
Yes, you can design your booklet in Word, Canva or Google Docs, as long as you export a print-ready PDF. In Canva, choose PDF Print and tick crop marks and bleed. In Word or Google Docs, set the page size to your booklet size plus 3mm bleed on each edge, then export as PDF. Screens display colour in RGB, so expect colours to shift slightly once your booklet is printed in CMYK.
Keep text and logos at least 3mm inside the trim, and give body text extra room near the spine, where pages curve into the fold. On thicker booklets, the inner pages creep outwards slightly as the sheets nest inside each other, so the more pages you have, the more margin helps. instantprint’s Studio team flags anything at risk in the free 10-point artwork check before your booklet goes to print.
Often not at their original size. Many AI image tools export images around 1024 pixels wide, which only covers about 87mm at 300dpi, so a full-page photo can print soft. Upscale images before you place them, or keep them small on the page. The free instantprint AI Studio can upscale your artwork, and the proofing tool warns you about low-resolution images before you approve.
Add your booklet to the basket and the online proofing tool opens. It checks for common problems and builds a proof for you to approve. If your file is over 10MB, place your order first, then send the PDF by WeTransfer to artwork@instantprint.co.uk with your instantprint order number as the subject line.
Yes, every instantprint order gets a free 10-point artwork check by the Studio team in Rotherham, covering resolution, bleed, safe zones, colour mode and page order. If something looks wrong, the team contacts you before anything is printed. instantprint doesn’t offer a design service, but free design templates are available in the Design Online tool if you’d like a head start.
instantprint stapled booklet turnarounds range from next day delivery to 3–4 working days, and you choose the one you need on each product page. Order and approve your artwork by 6:30pm and instantprint produces your booklets to meet the delivery date shown. Foil and Spot UV booklets take at least 4 working days, so plan ahead if your cover is embellished.
instantprint delivers stapled booklets by DPD tracked delivery for £4.99 per order, and standard delivery is free on orders over £75. Some extended postcode areas, including parts of Scotland, the Highlands and islands, take one extra working day. Check the delivery help page for your postcode before you choose a turnaround.
Not at the moment. instantprint currently delivers within the UK only, so booklets can’t be shipped to the Republic of Ireland, mainland Europe or the US. Extended UK postcode areas are covered, but they can take one extra working day, so allow for that when you’re planning an event or a mailing date.
To make sure funeral booklets arrive in time, choose a turnaround with a delivery date at least one working day before the service, and approve your proof by 6:30pm on the day you order. Check that your postcode isn’t in an extended delivery area. If you’re unsure, call instantprint on 0191 27 27 327 and the team will confirm the date with you before you pay.
No, bank holidays don’t count as working days, and neither do weekends. An order approved on the Friday before a bank holiday Monday counts its working days from Tuesday, so add a day when you plan. instantprint shows the exact delivery date next to every turnaround option before you pay, so you always know when your booklets will arrive.
Everything in one instantprint order is printed and shipped together, so all the items in a basket need the same turnaround. If one product needs to arrive sooner than another, check out the faster items first, then place a second order for the rest at the slower, cheaper turnaround.
instantprint stapled booklets start at £45.39 for 25 A6 booklets, excluding VAT. DL starts at £46.14, A5 and square at £47.27, and A4 at £57.17, each for 25 copies on the 3–4 working day turnaround with default options. Your page count, paper and finishes all change the price, which updates live on each product page as you choose.
The minimum order for instantprint stapled booklets is 25 copies per design, and single copies or print-on-demand aren’t available. If you’d like to check the paper and finishes first, order a free sample pack to see and feel real stocks in your hand, then place a 25-copy run as your test order.
Physical printed proofs aren’t available, but every order includes an online proof showing exactly how your pages will print, plus the free 10-point artwork check by the Studio team. If you want to feel paper weights and finishes before you commit, request a free instantprint sample pack, sent by first class Royal Mail.
Most printed booklets are zero-rated for VAT in the UK, so in most cases no VAT is charged. If 25% or more of a booklet is designed to be written in, such as a workbook, form or activity book, HMRC treats it as standard-rated and 20% VAT applies. instantprint prices on this page exclude VAT, which is calculated in your basket.
Yes. Businesses, schools, councils and charities can pay by BACS on orders over £500, or apply for a credit account through instantprint’s free account management team. Card and PayPal payments are accepted at checkout. If a card payment fails, try a different browser, or pay with PayPal instead.
No, instantprint doesn’t print hardback or hardcover books. For a sturdier finish, choose a stapled booklet with a 350gsm laminated cover, or a perfect bound book with a printed square spine. If you need pages that lay completely flat, wire bound books suit planners, manuals and training packs.
No, variable data isn’t available on stapled booklets, so every copy in an order uses identical artwork. That rules out sequential numbering, personalised names and per-copy photos. If you need different versions, add each design to your instantprint basket as a separate quantity of 25 or more.
No, instantprint stapled booklets are stapled along the spine only. Perforated tear-out pages, corner stapling, PUR binding and ribbon bookmarks aren’t available. For tear-off vouchers or reply slips, perforated leaflets are the closest product, and foil on the cover is the best way to add a premium touch to a booklet.
No, instantprint doesn’t issue ISBNs. In the UK, ISBNs are bought by the publisher from the Nielsen ISBN Agency, then printed as part of your artwork, usually as a barcode on the back cover. Keep the barcode inside the 3mm safe zone so it scans cleanly after trimming.
No, A6 stapled booklets are portrait only, bound on the long edge. A5 and A4 booklets can be bound on the short edge for a landscape format, listed as Short Edge on the instantprint product page. For any other shape, custom-size booklets run from 99mm to 252mm wide and 148mm to 303mm high.
Written by Jess, Studio Manager at instantprint, whose team checks every booklet before it’s printed. Last updated 15 October 2026.
Set-up help, layout tips and real customer stories.
The free instantprint sample pack puts real silk, uncoated and gloss stocks in your hand, so you can choose inner pages and a cover with confidence.
