Booklets and Brochures: Stapled, Perfect Bound or Wiro?

Three binding methods, one decision

When you order a booklet or brochure, the first decision after page count is how it will be bound. The three main options are saddle-stitched (stapled), perfect bound (glued spine), and wiro bound (spiral wire). Each suits different page counts, budgets, and purposes.

Saddle-stitched (stapled) booklets

Stapled booklets are the most common and cost-effective format. Two wire staples through the spine hold the pages together. The booklet opens flat, which is useful for reading and photocopying.

Page count: 8 to 64 pages (must be a multiple of 4). Below 8 pages, you have a folded leaflet rather than a booklet. Above 64 pages, the staples struggle to hold and the spine starts to look bulky.

Best for: Programmes, event guides, short catalogues, menus, newsletters, promotional brochures, school prospectuses. Anything under 60 pages where you need a clean, professional finish at a low cost.

Advantages: Cheapest binding method. Opens completely flat. Fast turnaround. Lightweight and easy to post.

Perfect bound booklets

Perfect bound books have a flat, glued spine with a printed cover that wraps around the pages. This is the same binding you see on paperback novels, annual reports, and substantial catalogues.

Page count: 28 pages minimum (the spine needs enough thickness for the glue to hold). Works well up to 200+ pages.

Best for: Annual reports, company brochures, product catalogues, lookbooks, training manuals, substantial event programmes. Anything where you want a book-like feel and a printable spine.

Advantages: Professional, book-like appearance. The spine can be printed with the title. Feels substantial in the hand. Good for higher page counts where stapling is not practical.

Wiro bound booklets

Wiro bound booklets use a twin-loop wire spiral threaded through holes punched along the spine edge. The wire allows the booklet to open completely flat or fold back on itself, which is useful for reference documents.

Page count: 12 to 200+ pages. Wiro binding works across a wide range of page counts.

Best for: Training manuals, workbooks, recipe books, desk calendars, reference guides, notebooks. Anything that needs to lie flat on a desk or fold back for one-handed use.

Advantages: Opens completely flat and folds back 360 degrees. Very durable. Pages turn easily. Can mix different paper stocks within the same booklet (e.g. tabbed dividers).

Choosing the right binding

The decision usually comes down to three factors:

• Page count: Under 64 pages, stapled is usually the best value. Over 28 pages and you want a book-like feel, perfect bound. Any page count where the reader needs it to lie flat, wiro.
• Purpose: Marketing material tends towards stapled or perfect bound (they look sleeker). Working documents, manuals, and reference materials tend towards wiro (they are more practical).
• Budget: Stapled is cheapest. Wiro is moderate. Perfect bound is typically the most expensive per unit, but the difference narrows at higher quantities.

Paper stock considerations

The cover and inner pages can be different stocks. A common combination is a 300gsm or 350gsm cover with 130gsm or 170gsm inner pages. This gives the cover durability while keeping the booklet light enough to handle comfortably.

For a deeper look at paper weights and what they feel like in practice, have a read of our GSM paper weight guide. And if you are preparing artwork for a booklet, remember that page order matters: our team will check your file before printing, but getting the page sequence right upfront saves time. See our artwork setup guide for the basics.