Perfect Bound Booklets
Sleek booklet with magazine finish
Sleek perfect bound booklets. Creates a premium, magazine-style finish perfect for catalogues and annual reports.
- • Available sizes: A6, A5, A4, Custom
- • Paper options: 100gsm Silk, 100gsm Uncoated, 120gsm Uncoated, 130gsm Gloss, 130gsm Silk, 150gsm Silk, 160gsm Uncoated, 170gsm Gloss, 170gsm Silk, 200gsm Silk, 200gsm Uncoated
- • Minimum order: 10 units
- • Turnaround: Delivered within 3-5 working days of ordering, once your free proof is approved.
Not available same-day or next-day — the glued spine has to cure overnight before it can be trimmed and handled. Perfect binding has a 2 to 4 working days lead time; need it sooner? Choose Saddle Stitched Booklets (staple stitch).
Please supply your artwork as a print-ready PDF with a 3mm bleed and crop marks. Make sure all colours are CMYK and imagery is 300dpi.
- • File Format: One PDF with the pages in reading order — we handle the imposition
- • Colour Mode: CMYK at 300dpi, with fonts embedded or outlined
- • Bleed: 3mm bleed on every page
- • Page Count: Inside pages only, supplied separately from the cover. A glued spine is built from flat leaves, so the inside page count runs in twos — the Pages selector on this page lists the counts we can bind
- • Cover Artwork: Supply the cover as ONE wraparound spread — back cover, spine, front cover, left to right — with 3mm bleed all round
- • Spine: We work the spine width out from your final page count and inside stock and confirm it before printing. Keep spine text clear of the two folds until the width is confirmed
- • Gutter Margin: Allow 10mm extra margin on the spine side of every inside page — the glued spine takes some of the inner margin
Free design templates
Each template has the bleed, cut line and safe area already marked, so your file is set up correctly first time:
- Download your size and corner style — PDF for Illustrator, Affinity or InDesign; PNG for Photoshop or Canva.
- Open it in your design app, or place it on a locked layer at 100% size — it already includes the 3mm bleed.
- Design over it: run your background right to the red bleed edge and keep text and logos inside the green safe area.
- Hide or delete the template layer, then export a print-ready PDF (CMYK, 300dpi) and upload it with your order.
Delivered within 3-5 working days of ordering, once your free proof is approved. That window is the whole job, not just the van: we print, finish and dispatch your order and the tracked carrier delivers it. The clock starts when you approve your free digital proof, so approving promptly is the fastest thing you can do.
Choose your delivery speed at checkout — every parcel is tracked:
- • Standard delivery — 3-5 working days, free to UK mainland addresses on orders over £25, £2.95 below that
- • Next-day delivery — next working day when you order and approve your artwork by 2.30pm Mon–Fri, priced at checkout
- • Next-day by 1pm or by 10.30am — next working day, by the time chosen, when you order and approve your artwork by 2.30pm Mon–Fri, priced at checkout
- • Saturday delivery — Saturday, for orders approved by 2.30pm on Friday, priced at checkout
- • Not available same-day or next-day — the glued spine has to cure overnight before it can be trimmed and handled. Perfect binding has a 2 to 4 working days lead time; need it sooner? Choose Saddle Stitched Booklets (staple stitch).
The Highlands & Islands, offshore and international addresses are priced live at checkout, as are unusually heavy orders — over 15kg is £14.95 whatever the order value. Very large pieces (any side over 120cm, such as A0 boards) go by courier rather than post: £7.95 on Standard, with the faster services at the courier's large-parcel rate, shown at checkout. See live delivery prices and times.
Every order is covered by the Presswift Guarantee: printed to the proof you approve and the specification you choose, or put right. If what arrives is damaged, short or does not match the approved proof, contact us within 7 days of delivery with your order number, photos of the problem and a count of the affected copies, and keep the copies unused while we look. We reprint the affected copies to the same specification or, where a reprint is not practical, refund them; approved refunds reach your original payment method within 7-10 working days. Read the Presswift Guarantee.
Because every job is printed to your own artwork and specification, we cannot take a return simply because you have changed your mind, and errors carried through the proof you approved, or colour and trim variation within normal print tolerance, are not print faults. That is what the free digital proof is for — check the colours, wording and layout on the proof and nothing goes to press until you are happy with it.
What is perfect binding?
Perfect binding gathers your pages into a block, roughens the spine edge and glues it to a wraparound cover. Once trimmed you get a flat, square spine, the same method used for most paperback books and thick catalogues.
Why choose perfect binding over saddle-stitching?
Saddle-stitching staples folded sheets and works best for thinner booklets, while perfect binding glues a square spine that handles far more pages neatly. If your document is thick, perfect binding usually looks and holds better.
Can the spine be printed?
Yes. A perfect-bound spine is flat and wide enough to carry a title, so the booklet is readable when shelved. Include your spine text in the artwork and keep it clear of the fold edges to avoid trimming issues.
Does a perfect-bound booklet lie flat?
The glued square spine holds pages firmly rather than fully flat, so it sits like a paperback and needs holding open. If lying flat is essential, a wire-bound or comb-bound booklet is a better fit.
How should I set up my cover artwork?
Supply a print-ready PDF in CMYK at 300dpi with 3mm bleed. Set the cover as a single spread that wraps front, spine and back, and we will confirm the spine width based on your page count and paper.
How long does perfect binding take?
Allow a 2 to 4 working day lead time from proof approval. The PUR-glued spine cures overnight before it can be trimmed, so same-day and next-day are not available on perfect binding. Need it sooner? Choose Saddle Stitched Booklets (staple stitch), which can go same-day or next-day.
How much do Perfect Bound Booklets cost?
Perfect Bound Booklets start from £54.44 with no VAT to add (zero-rated) for 10 units. The price updates live on this page as you choose your size, paper stock and quantity, and the price per unit falls at higher quantities.
What sizes do Perfect Bound Booklets come in?
Perfect Bound Booklets are available in 3 sizes: A6, A5 and A4. You can also enter a custom size in millimetres. If your size or page count is outside what the page can price, request a quote and we will price the exact specification for you.
Which paper stocks can I choose for Perfect Bound Booklets?
You can print Perfect Bound Booklets on 100gsm Silk, 100gsm Uncoated, 120gsm Uncoated, 130gsm Gloss, 130gsm Silk, 150gsm Silk, 160gsm Uncoated and 170gsm Gloss, plus 3 more stocks. Every stock is listed with its weight so you can balance feel and budget, and the page reprices as you switch.
Do you offer bulk discounts on Perfect Bound Booklets?
Yes. Perfect Bound Booklets carry quantity discounts, so the price per unit falls as the run grows. Change the quantity on this page and the discount is applied to the total automatically.
Can I get Perfect Bound Booklets delivered the same day?
No. Perfect Bound Booklets cannot be produced same day or next day because the glued spine has to cure overnight before it can be trimmed and handled: perfect binding has a 2 to 4 working days lead time. If you need it sooner, choose Saddle Stitched Booklets (staple stitch), which can go same-day or next-day. Standard tracked UK delivery takes 3-5 working days from ordering.
How much is delivery for Perfect Bound Booklets?
Standard tracked delivery is free to UK mainland addresses on orders over £25 (£2.95 below that), and takes 3-5 working days from ordering. The Highlands & Islands, offshore and international addresses are priced live at checkout, as are orders over 15kg (£14.95 whatever the order value). Express and next-day services are available at checkout (next-day: order and approve your artwork by 2.30pm Mon–Fri).
About Perfect Bound Booklets
Perfect Bound Booklets have a flat, square spine formed by gluing the printed text block to a wraparound cover. The result is a bookshop finish with a clean, printable edge, giving your document the substantial feel of a proper paperback rather than a stapled leaflet. We print them in A4 and A5, from ten copies upwards.
This binding is built for higher page counts. Where saddle-stitching relies on folded sheets and starts to bulge as pages mount up, perfect binding holds a thick block of flat leaves neatly and squarely, which is why catalogues, manuals and annual reports use it. Because the block is made of single leaves rather than folded sections, the inside page count runs in twos; the Pages selector on this page lists the counts we bind.
Cover and inside pages are chosen separately, and the pairing is what makes the booklet feel right. Covers run at 300gsm silk — matt, gloss or soft-touch laminated — or 350gsm uncoated heavyweight if you want a natural, tactile finish. For the text block, silk is a smooth coated stock with a soft satin sheen that keeps photographs and solid colour rich without gloss glare, while uncoated is crisp and natural in the hand, easy to write on and kinder to read across long stretches of type. For most documents a 100-170gsm inside stock gives the best balance of opacity and page turn; heavier stocks make a thick book stiff and expensive.
The spine width is worked out from your final page count and inside stock, and we confirm it before printing — so supply your cover as one wraparound spread (back cover, spine, front cover, left to right) and keep the spine text clear of the folds until the width is confirmed. Every order includes a free digital proof to approve before production, the price per copy falls from twenty copies upwards, and standard UK delivery arrives within 3 to 5 working days of ordering.
One thing perfect binding cannot do is same-day or next-day: the PUR-glued spine has to cure overnight before it can be trimmed and handled, so allow a 2 to 4 working day lead time from proof approval. If you need it sooner, choose Saddle Stitched Booklets (staple stitch) or a wire-bound booklet, both of which can be produced inside the same-day and next-day windows.
Product catalogues
Showcase full ranges in a smart, shelf-ready format.
Company reports
Present annual reports with a professional square spine.
Event programmes
Produce thick event or theatre programmes that feel premium.
Design portfolios
Bind a substantial body of work into a paperback finish.
Related products & guides
Perfect Bound Booklets specifications
| Sizes |
|
|---|---|
| Stocks and materials |
|
| Binding | Perfect bound (glued square spine) |
| Page count | 32 to 300 pages, in twos (each sheet is printed both sides) |
| Spine | Worked out from your final page count and inside stock, and confirmed before printing. Supply the cover as one wraparound spread — back cover, spine, front cover — with 3mm bleed |
| Minimum order | 10 units |
| Production and delivery | Perfect binding has a 2 to 4 working days lead time — the glued spine has to cure overnight before it can be trimmed and handled — so same-day and next-day are not available. Need it sooner? Choose Saddle Stitched Booklets (staple stitch), which can go same-day or next-day. |
| Delivery options |
|
| Artwork | Print-ready PDF, CMYK, images at 300dpi, 3mm bleed on all edges, fonts embedded or outlined, and important content kept 5mm inside the trim |
Standard delivery is free to UK mainland addresses on orders over £25 (£2.95 below that) and takes 3-5 working days from ordering. The Highlands & Islands, offshore and international addresses are priced live at checkout. Delivery details.
Quality Guaranteed
Premium materials and expert craftsmanship ensure exceptional results on every order.
Fast Turnaround
Standard delivery in 3-5 working days. Express options available when you need it sooner.
Expert Support
Our dedicated team is here to help with advice, file checks, and technical assistance.
