Saddle Stitch Page Count Question

Printing and Prepress
#1

Hey everyone — this question is for anyone who can help, but especially @Smurf2, I’d really appreciate your input!

I’m working on a saddle-stitched product handbook/booklet for a client, and I’m relatively inexperienced with print production.

In my current layout, I have 4 cover pages and 24 internal pages. My client mentioned that my page numbers seem off — possibly because I didn’t include the inside front/back cover pages (which are currently blank) in my initial PDF submission (yeah, my fault that cause the confusion). But the real concern is with the total page count. We’re nearing the final design phase, and here’s the client’s latest feedback:

“We have a couple more pages available for the print version — it works in 4s — so we will have a 4pp cover and 28pp internal. That gives us 2 more pages. So if I count correctly we finish the last technical page at page 24, so we have 4 pages at the end including the back page. I would like to use these at a gallery,use this space to show different pictures and put a caption.”

From what I understand, 24 internal pages with a 4pp cover (making 28 total pages) should be perfectly valid for saddle stitch. Am I correct in thinking that 24pp internal is a standard and acceptable setup?

I just want to double-check before I clarify with the client — whether they’ve already committed to 28pp internally with the printer, or if it was just a miscount.

Second question:
When preparing files for print, should I export them as single pages or spreads?

And if spreads are preferred, should I lay them out as they visually appear in the booklet (e.g., page 2–3, 4–5, etc.), or do I need to manually arrange them for imposition? Do most printers handle imposition themselves, or is it something I need to prepare in the file? And out of curiosity — how does imposition work in this case? Is it typically 4 or 8 pages per printed sheet?

I’m working in InDesign, btw.

Thanks!

#2

In multiple of 4s is fine.

Sounds like the printer might be stuck to 16 page signatures, which means they’ll have to be 32 pages. It is odd, not really heard of that before.

If they insist on 4 more pages then that’s what is is.

Single pages in the correct order - 1-24/28, then your 4 page cover, in order FC, IFC, IBC, BC

#3

Do you mind ezplaining what 16 page signature is, and how many are there this kind of signature system? By 32 pages does it include the cover? Does the cover also being counted as the total pages by printers’ system?

Another quick one, the images in the file appear pixelated only when zoomed in, but the effective PPI is showing as 300. Is this safe for print?

For context: the original source files have a low resolution (around 96 PPI), but very large dimensions (width × height). Since the images are scaled down in my InDesign file, the effective resolution reaches 300 PPI.

Thanks!

#4

Signatures are basically how printers group pages together for efficient printing and binding, especially with saddle-stitched booklets.

Most commonly, printers use 8, 16, or 32-page signatures, depending on their setup. So if you hear “16-page signature,” it means 16 pages are printed together on large sheets, which are then folded and trimmed to create the booklet. That’s why your total page count usually needs to be in multiples of 4 otherwise, you’d have blank pages.

If your booklet is 24 pages total (excluding the cover), the printer might use one 16-page signature, plus an 8-page wraparound, which could look like:

Sheet layout example:
Page 20 | Page 1
Page 2 | Page 19
Page 18 | Page 3
…and so on.

That’s part of the imposition - how they shuffle the page order on the print sheet, so once folded and trimmed, everything reads in the correct order. You don’t and shouldn’t need to manually impose the file yourself just export as single pages in order (1–24, 28, etc.), and the printer handles the rest.

About the cover
If the cover is printed on different stock (thicker, glossy, etc.), it’s usually printed separately.
If it’s on the same stock, it might be included in the same signature as the inner pages depends on the printer.

Image quality question:
You’re safe if the effective PPI is showing 300 in InDesign, even if the original file was 96 PPI but scaled down. What matters is the effective resolution in the final layout printers go by that, not the source file’s original size.

And mostly 300 is way too much, you could lower for lithographic printing, and for digital it’s even more forgiving, and could be as low as 200-215ppi.

1 Like
#5

Thanks so much, that explains a lot! So just to confirm — 4, 8, or 16-page signatures can be used interchangeably when printing, and printers aren’t limited to just one signature size, right? For example, for a 28-page booklet (excluding the cover), they might use a 16-page signature, plus an 8-page and a 4-page wraparound to make up the total. Is that correct?

#6

Depends on their setup.

#7

Yes - but if the client is confused about the number of pages in the existing layout, you should clear that up with them, although it sounds like the client wants to add 4 pages, which is ok

Check with the printers, but it’s usual to export as single pages

#8

Thanks!

#9

thanks, is it a single file containing all the pages, or should I send them multiple files - each file for each page?

#10

No - 1 file
All the pages
in sequence you want them printed from 1-24
include the cover if you want in the same file or separately

Best to ask them

Usually send all in 1 file
or send 1 file for inner pages and 1 file for cover.

#11

Understood. Thanks!

#12

That would work, of course, but I’ve never done that. I’ve always exported press-ready PDFs as spreads. I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a situation where a printer requested single pages, since their imposition software rearranges all the pages anyway. Perhaps this is one of those differences between how things are typically done in the UK versus here in the US.

#13

One thing that hasn’t been mentioned yet is whether this booklet is self-covered (meaning the cover is printed on the same paper stock as the inside pages).

If it’s self-covered, the cover is considered part of the signature because it will be printed on the same sheet of paper as the inside pages. If the cover is printed on a different paper stock, for example, a heavier weight stock, the cover isn’t part of the signature since it requires a separate run through the press.

#14

@Just-B Odd, I’ve always submitted multi-page saddle stitched print jobs as single pages (with bleed and crops of course) and I’m here in the US. I was trying to think back and I vaguely remember a few instances where I may have been asked for them as spreads. I assume imposition is easier with the pages being single pages.

#15

Thought I mentioned it

#16

We’ve received things like this and yes, the imposition software can sort it out, but typically it’s preferred as single pages.

I’ve never seen anyone recommend sending as spreads.

#17

Perhaps you did, and I missed it. It’s a long thread.

#18

Hmmm, that is odd. A big chunk of my career has been designing magazines and booklets, and I’ve never considered sending separate pages since no bleed is required on the inside gutter. Like I mentioned, it probably doesn’t matter since all the pages are juggled around when imposed. Looking back, the only time I’ve sent separate pages was for newspaper work, which has its own set of production quirks.

#19

@Just-B I wonder if it is a quirk with magazines/books. My experience has been as an inhouse designer. I mainly sent corporate brochures, annual reports, collateral, etc. Most were fairly small page counts of 12 pages or so, but occasionally a few longer docs could hit a 40+ page count, and annual reports usually being closer to 100+ pages. All were sent as single page PDFs, or back in the stone ages (ha) when I’d have to send up packaged source files before PDFs were commonly accepted.

#20

Single page PDFs with bleeds on all sides (even the gutter side) seems to be the norm these days.