Binding Basics

Saddle Stitching Saddle stitching, also called the two-wire stitch or stapled spine, is a popular, cost-effective binding method widely used for thinner magazines, catalogs and booklets. In this binding process, sheets of printed paper are folded and nested together, then metal wire is stitched through the fold line to create the spine. After trimming, the end product is a sleek, softcover publication bound with staples through its spine. Saddle stitching is a very popular binding method due to its simplicity, cost effectiveness, fast turnaround and flexible design. Assembly required In commercial printing, saddle stitching varies between machinery and binderies, but the basic process in a saddle stitching line is as follows. Once a publication’s parent sheets leave the printing press, a gatherer organizes the sheets into the correct sequence. The parent sheets are sent into gates in a folder machine which are set to the proper fold size for the sheets. The cover of the publication is usually combined with the parent sheets, so long as the substance of the cover is able to be folded alongside its pages. The folding process ensures crisp, precise folds along the spine. A heavy arm applies a final fold, called the knife fold, to the parent sheets along the fold line with great pressure.

The groups of folded pages, known as signatures, are intentionally printed and folded to be longer on one edge than the other. This creates a small lap which aids the machine in opening the unbound publication to the centerfold, assuring each publication is correctly pulled onto the stitcher’s conveyor. The publication travels along the apparatus with its outer spine facing up and each side of the publication hanging over the sides like legs on a saddle. This part of the binding process is where saddle stitching gets its distinctive name. As the publication travels along the conveyor, it meets the stitcher, which pushes metal wire from a spool down through the outside of the spine fold and back up through the other side. This process forms staples in the spine fold of the publication which are clinched on the inside fold of the centermost pages. Two staples are used most commonly, but publications with larger paper sizes may require more staples along the spine. The stapled publication is then plucked off the saddle conveyor and sent to the trimmer. This process removes the lap and signature folds of the cover and inside pages at once, leaving behind a clean-cut, saddle-stitched publication.

Did you know The first known pieces resembling modern publications were created in India circa 100 BCE and most closely resembled saddle-stitched products today. Used for religious sutras, the folded pages were made of dried palm leaves and bound with twine.

Binding Basics

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