{"id":292,"date":"2019-05-18T04:44:37","date_gmt":"2019-05-18T04:44:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.printivity.com\/insights\/?p=292"},"modified":"2025-07-30T18:44:02","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T18:44:02","slug":"3-questions-to-ask-yourself-when-choosing-the-best-paper-type-for-your-saddle-stitched-booklet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insights.printivity.com\/3-questions-to-ask-yourself-when-choosing-the-best-paper-type-for-your-saddle-stitched-booklet","title":{"rendered":"3 Questions For Choosing Saddle Stitched Paper Type"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>When choosing the paper type for printing booklets (or any\nprint product), it might seem like there is a never-ending list of variables to\nconsider. However, there are 3 questions to ask yourself to help expedite this\nprocess!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The three most common paper type finishings are: uncoated,\nmatte, and gloss. All three serve a different purpose depending on the use of\nthe product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.printivity.com\/landing\/insights\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" height=\"256\" width=\"1024\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.printivity.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/BannerBusinessCards-1024x256.png?resize=1024%2C256&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Get 20% off your first order at Printivity banner ad\" class=\"wp-image-2648\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Question #1: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.printivity.com\/insights\/what-is-the-best-paper-for-printing-my-booklet\">What paper<\/a> coating best fits my booklet\u2019s purpose?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Uncoated: &nbsp;<\/strong>This paper type is the top recommended paper type for booklets that are intended to be written on (journals, coloring books, workbooks, etc). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.printivity.com\/insights\/the-difference-between-uncoated-gloss-and-matte-paper-finishing\" class=\"broken_link\">Uncoated paper<\/a> is easily written on and will not cause pen ink to smear. This finishing is usually more cost effective than other paper types. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Gloss: <\/strong>This paper type is usually recommended for designs that contain high amounts of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.printivity.com\/insights\/color-theory-basics-how-to-choose-the-best-colors\">color <\/a>because it will make the colors stand out more and give a more professional look (product catalogs, photobooks, magazines, etc). <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Matte: <\/strong>This paper type is recommended for booklets that want the professional coated look, but the book contains pages with writable areas or glare from the gloss is not desired (children\u2019s books, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.printivity.com\/marketing\/calendars\">calendars<\/a>, photobooks where less shine is preferred, etc). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.printivity.com\/insights\/the-difference-between-uncoated-gloss-and-matte-paper-finishing\" class=\"broken_link\">Matte paper<\/a> reduces the risk of pen ink smearing when written on with a ball point pen.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Question #2: What paper weight should I choose?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There are 2 factors to consider when choosing the thickness\nof your booklet\u2019s interior paper: opacity and the number of pages in the\nbooklet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The opacity in paper is defined as the amount of light that\npasses through it. Higher opacity paper will not allow much light to pass\nthrough the page. Lower opacity paper is more translucent and will allow more\nlight to pass through the page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-horizontal is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-499968f5 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.printivity.com\/booklets\/saddle-stitched-booklets\" style=\"background-color:#ef4129\">Get Instant Quotes &#8211; Custom Saddle Stitch Booklet Printing<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>If your file\u2019s design contains a lot of images on a white or light colored background, then it would be better to choose a higher weight of paper. If you want an uncoated paper, the thickest option to order is 70 lb Text Uncoated. Otherwise if you want the thickest coated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.printivity.com\/insights\/how-to-choose-the-best-paper-weight-for-your-print-job\">paper weight<\/a>, 100 lb Text Gloss and 100 lb Text Matte are the best option to decrease the risk of the image showing through on the other side of the page. Your final product will look more expensive and professional if you factor in opacity when choosing your paper weight!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You will also need to consider the number of pages in your\nfile when choosing a paper type. The decision can be simplified once you have\nchosen the binding type: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The lower the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.printivity.com\/insights\/how-do-you-count-pages-in-a-booklet-for-printing\">page count<\/a>, the higher the paper weight.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The higher the page count, the lower the paper weight.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>When a saddle stitched booklet is 40+ pages, the best paper type that will allow <a href=\"https:\/\/www.printivity.com\/landing\/booklets\">the booklet<\/a> to lay as flat as possible are the 70 lb and 80 lb text weight. However, when a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.printivity.com\/insights\/what-is-creep-in-a-saddle-stitch-booklet\">saddle stitched booklet<\/a> is 20 pages or less, 90 lb or 100 lb text weight will give your booklet the extra support it needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Question #3: What about choosing the booklet\u2019s cover paper?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Saddle stitched booklets have the option of choosing a self-cover.\nThis is when the cover sheet is the same paper type and weight as the interior\npages. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is usually recommended to have a cover sheet for saddle\nstitched booklets. Cover weight paper is too thick to\nbe folded within the Saddle Stitch binder. So, when a saddle stitched\nbooklet is ordered with a cover weight paper, that sheet will be creased. This\nwill also allow the booklet to lay flatter than if a self-cover was chosen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just like the interior paper, there are variations for the\ncover paper. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-horizontal is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-499968f5 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.printivity.com\/booklets\/saddle-stitched-booklets\" style=\"background-color:#ef4129\">Get Instant Quotes &#8211; Custom Saddle Stitch Booklet Printing<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>If the interior paper of your saddle stitched booklet is 80\nlb Text Gloss and you choose self-cover, then the entire booklet will be 80 lb\nText Gloss. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Final thoughts on choosing paper for your booklet<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>After considering these questions when choosing the right\npaper type, always remember that your personal preference can overrule all\nother factors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Order a Hard Copy Proof of your design before proceeding\nwith a full order. Or simply request a Paper Sample Kit so that you can feel\nthe paper for yourself!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When choosing the paper type for printing booklets (or any print product), it might seem like there is a never-ending [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":294,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,9,12],"tags":[103,141,185,224,284,300,318,327,328,412,413,421,457,458,473],"class_list":["post-292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-paper","category-print","category-products","tag-catalog","tag-cover-weight","tag-digital-printing","tag-gloss-paper","tag-magazine","tag-matte-paper","tag-online-printing","tag-paper-type","tag-paper-weight","tag-saddle-stitched-booklet","tag-saddle-stitch","tag-self-cover","tag-text-vs-cover-paper","tag-text-weight","tag-uncoated"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/insights.printivity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/saddle-stitched-booklets-transparent-1.png?fit=600%2C500&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgont1-4I","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insights.printivity.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insights.printivity.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insights.printivity.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insights.printivity.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insights.printivity.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=292"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/insights.printivity.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/292\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9927,"href":"https:\/\/insights.printivity.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/292\/revisions\/9927"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insights.printivity.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insights.printivity.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insights.printivity.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insights.printivity.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}