DIY notebook binding: 5 methods compared

You can bind a good notebook at home with tools you probably already have. The right method depends mostly on how many pages you want and whether the notebook needs to lie flat. This guide compares the common methods and links to step-by-step instructions.

Every method below starts the same way: make your notebook in the maker and download a print-ready booklet. The pages are already arranged so that they read in order after you fold the sheets.

Which binding method should I use?

Method	Pages	Tools	Lies flat	Best for
Fold and staple (saddle stitch)	up to about 40	Long-reach stapler	Mostly	Planners, workbooks, quick notebooks
Pamphlet stitch	up to about 48	Needle, awl, thread	Yes	Traveler’s Notebook inserts, journals
Sewn signatures	80 and more	Needle, awl, thread, glue	Yes	Thick journals and year planners
Traveler’s Notebook cover	1–4 inserts	Elastic cover	Yes	Refillable notebooks
Ring or disc binding	any	Hole punch or disc punch	Yes	Planners you rearrange

1. Fold and staple (saddle stitch)

The fastest method. Print the booklet double-sided, fold every sheet in half, nest the sheets and put two or three staples through the fold. A long-reach stapler makes this easy; with a normal stapler, open it flat and staple into an eraser or a piece of cardboard, then bend the legs by hand.

Saddle stitching works well up to about 10 sheets (40 pages) of 80 g/m² paper. Thicker booklets push the inner pages outward (“creep”), and the fold becomes hard to close. See Fold and staple a booklet.

2. Pamphlet stitch

A three- or five-hole stitch through the fold replaces the staples. It takes ten minutes, looks handmade, and the notebook opens flatter. Use waxed linen thread, bookbinding thread or embroidery floss. This is the usual way to bind Traveler’s Notebook inserts. See the pamphlet stitch steps in Sew signatures.

3. Sewn signatures (thick notebooks)

For more than about 48 pages, split the notebook into several small booklets called signatures of 3–6 sheets each. In the maker’s export dialog choose Binding: Signatures (sew) and the number of sheets per signature. Fold each signature, then sew them together with a kettle stitch along the spine, and glue a strip of cloth or paper over the spine. The result is a durable notebook that lies completely flat. See Sew signatures into a thick notebook.

4. Traveler’s Notebook inserts

A Traveler’s Notebook is a leather or fabric cover with elastic bands. Each insert is a single signature held in place by an elastic. Print regular (110 × 210 mm) or passport (89 × 124 mm) inserts, fold, trim and stitch them, and swap them as you fill them.

5. Ring and disc binding

Ring binders and disc systems need no folding: print single pages in reading order, punch them and add them in any order. Leave a wider inner margin (the maker’s inner margin setting) so the holes don’t cut into your content.

Tips for every method

• Print at 100% (Actual size) and do a one-sheet test before printing the whole book.
• Paper grain: paper folds most cleanly along the grain. Copy paper is usually long-grain, so the fold of an A5 or Half Letter booklet runs across it. That is fine for thin paper; score heavier paper before folding.
• Score before folding heavier paper and covers: run a blunt knife or bone folder along a ruler on the fold line.
• Trim after binding for perfectly even edges: the inner sheets of a thick booklet stick out slightly at the fore-edge.
• Covers: print the cover on 160–250 g/m² cardstock as a separate sheet (choose the cover sheet option in the export dialog), or wrap the notebook in kraft paper.