Print Options
Square back booklets are ideal for mid-to-high page counts where a standard staple would otherwise cause the booklet to bulge.
Standard Booklet Sizes:
- A4 (210mm x 297mm) — Excellent for high-end corporate brochures and annual reports.
- A5 (148mm x 210mm) — The classic size for product catalogues, event guides, and lookbooks.
- Square (148mm x 148mm or 210mm x 210mm) — A highly popular, modern format for creative agencies and portfolios.
Available in both Portrait and Landscape orientations.
Page Count Requirements:
- Best suited for booklets containing 24 to 64+ pages (depending on paper thickness).
- Note: As with standard stapled booklets, the total page count must be a multiple of 4.
Paper Configurations:
- Heavy Cover (Recommended): A robust 250gsm or 350gsm cover cardstock paired with lighter inner pages (such as 130gsm or 150gsm) creates a beautifully structured, premium book feel.
- Self-Covered: The outer cover uses the same paper weight as the inner sheets (ideal for sleeker, modern mini-brochures).
Paper Stocks & Finishes:
- Silk: A smooth finish with a subtle sheen that ensures rich colour replication without harsh reflections.
- Gloss: Reflective and vibrant—ideal for photography-heavy product showcases.
- Uncoated: A tactile, matte finish that provides a natural, organic look and feel.
Cover Protection & Laminations:
- Matt Lamination: For an elegant, sophisticated, scuff-resistant surface.
- Gloss Lamination: For high-contrast impact and a high-shine finish.
- Soft-Touch / Velvet Lamination: Gives the cover a luxurious, velvety texture that is incredibly tactile.
Artwork
Setting up files for square back booklets follows the same rules as traditional stapled documents, with a couple of minor adjustments for the flattened spine:
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Page Layout: Please supply your artwork as a single, continuous PDF containing individual, sequential pages (from Page 1 to the end). Do not supply your artwork as reader pairs or double-page spreads.
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The Rule of 4: Ensure your total page count is exactly divisible by 4. Every sheet of paper folded in half creates 4 distinct pages; we cannot bind counts like 26, 30, or 34 pages.
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Resolution & Colours: All images must be saved at a minimum of 300dpi and exported in CMYK colour mode for vibrant, accurate printing.
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Bleed & Creep Safe Zone: * Include a standard 3mm bleed on all outer edges of your PDF pages.
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Keep all critical text, page numbers, and logos at least 6mm to 8mm away from the trim edge. Because the booklet is compressed to create the square spine, pages can “creep” slightly; a generous safe zone ensures nothing vital ever gets cropped or cuts too close to the edge.
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Square Back Booklets
If you are looking for a booklet finish that exudes the premium, high-end look of a paperback book but at a fraction of the cost, Square Back Booklets are the ultimate solution.
Traditionally, thick booklets bound with staples can “gasp” open or look bulky along the spine. Our square back technology completely transforms this. We take a standard saddle-stitched (stapled) booklet and pass it through a specialist finishing module that flattens the curved spine into a sharp, square edge.
The result? A sleek, contemporary booklet that mimics a perfect-bound book, sits completely flat, and is incredibly easy to stack, pack, and display. It provides the best of both worlds—the affordability and fast turnaround of stapled binding, paired with the flat-laying utility and retail-ready aesthetic of a square spine.
At Barkers Litho, we utilise precision finishing equipment at our Rochester workshop to ensure every fold is sharp, every staple is hidden securely, and your booklets look flawless from the moment they are picked up.
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Square Back Booklets
If you are looking for a booklet finish that exudes the premium, high-end look of a paperback book but at a fraction of the cost, Square Back Booklets are the ultimate solution.
Traditionally, thick booklets bound with staples can “gasp” open or look bulky along the spine. Our square back technology completely transforms this. We take a standard saddle-stitched (stapled) booklet and pass it through a specialist finishing module that flattens the curved spine into a sharp, square edge.
The result? A sleek, contemporary booklet that mimics a perfect-bound book, sits completely flat, and is incredibly easy to stack, pack, and display. It provides the best of both worlds—the affordability and fast turnaround of stapled binding, paired with the flat-laying utility and retail-ready aesthetic of a square spine.
At Barkers Litho, we utilise precision finishing equipment at our Rochester workshop to ensure every fold is sharp, every staple is hidden securely, and your booklets look flawless from the moment they are picked up.
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