Fold and staple a booklet

Saddle stitching (folding and stapling through the fold) is the quickest way to bind a notebook. It works well for booklets up to about 12–15 sheets of normal paper, which is 48–60 pages.

You will need

• Your printed sheets, in the order they came out of the printer.
• A long-reach stapler (or a normal stapler and a piece of cardboard, see below).
• A bone folder or the back of a spoon for crisp folds.

1. Keep the order

Do not shuffle the stack. The first sheet printed is the outermost sheet of the booklet (with the covers); the last sheet is the centre. Check that the front cover is on the right half of the top sheet, facing up.

2. Fold

For thin booklets (up to about 5 sheets), fold the whole stack at once along the fold marks. For thicker booklets, fold each sheet separately and then nest them inside each other in order: the result is neater. Press each fold flat with the bone folder.

3. Staple

Open the booklet to the centre spread and lay it face down. Place two staples on the fold, about 2–3 cm from the top and bottom. Three staples are better for A4 and Letter pages.

With a long-reach stapler, staple from the outside through the fold.

Without one, lay the open booklet on a piece of thick cardboard or a folded towel, push the stapler open and press the staple through the fold from the outside into the cardboard. Then bend the staple legs flat from the inside with a spoon.

4. Finish

Close the booklet and press it under a heavy book for an hour. If you want a straight front edge, trim it now (see cutting and trimming).

When to choose signatures instead

If your notebook has more than about 15 sheets, or you use heavier paper, a single fold becomes bulky and the centre pages stick out. Use Signatures (sew) binding in the export dialog and follow the sewing guide.