Booklet Printing: Unlocking the Power of Local Printing Services: Your Guide to Booklet Printing

by | Mar 13, 2024 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

Saddle Stitch Booklet
In today’s digital age where everything seems to be moving online, there’s still a strong need for tangible, printed materials. Whether you’re promoting your business, organizing an event, or sharing information, printed booklets remain a versatile and effective tool. If you’re searching for “print shop near me” or “local printing services,” you’re in the right place at Dave’s. Let’s delve into the world of booklet printing and how local printing services can bring your vision to life.
Multi-page booklets

Dave the Printer can create and print booklets many businesses need including:

  • Advertising
  • Custom
  • Event programs
  • Instruction Guides
  • Flip Booklet
  • Employee handbooks
  • Playbills
  • Fashion advertising
  • Funerals

Tips for Successful Booklet Printing:

  • Choose the Right Paper: Select a paper stock that complements your booklet design and suits the intended use of the booklets. We recommend 100lb gloss text.
  • Consider Binding Options: Depending on the number of pages and the desired finish, choose binding options such as saddle-stitch, coil binding, or perfect binding.
  • Proofread Thoroughly: Before sending your design to the print shop, proofread the content carefully to catch any spelling or grammar errors. Proof again when our staff sends you a digital proof.

Why Choose Dave the Printer for your local printing services?

A local printing service like Dave the Printer offers several advantages that online printers may not provide. Here’s why you should consider working with a print shop near you:

Personalized Service: Local printers often offer a personalized touch, taking the time to understand your needs and providing tailored solutions. Quick Turnaround: With a local print shop, you can enjoy faster turnaround times, ensuring your booklets are printed and ready when you need them. Supporting the Community: By choosing local printing services, you’re supporting small businesses in your community and contributing to the local economy.

Dave the Printer can handle any and all of your printing needs. Whether you need short run custom booklet printing, 168 page catalogs, or an 8 to 12 page brochure, we offer exceptional color print quality and binding options with a fast turnaround and a Live person to help you along the way!

Steps to Booklet Printing with a Local Print Shop:

Find a Print Shop Near You – You found us and Dave thanks you.

You may have found us by searching for “Custom booklet printing” or even “print pdf as booklet” online. Feel free to check out our reviews on Google or Yelp way!

Request a Quote

Ask for a detailed quote that includes pricing for the printing services as well as any additional costs such as design or shipping. We have set up a form that should help start the process. Click here for a Custom Quote. Want to talk about your booklet order, give us a call at 214-630-4017

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Discuss Your Project:

Contact the print shop staff and discuss your booklet printing project. Provide details such as the quantity, size, paper stock, and any special finishing options you require

Submit Your Design:

If you already have a booklet design prepared, submit the digital files to us via the link here. Make sure your files are correctly formatted and meet our commercial printing specifications.

Review Proofs:

Before proceeding with printing, ask our print staff to provide digital proofs of your booklet. Review the proofs carefully for any errors or issues and make necessary revision

Approve to Print:

Once you're satisfied with the proof, email us giving the go-ahead for printing. Dave’s staff will then produce your booklets using high-quality printing equipment and paper.

Pick Up or Delivery:

You can choose to pick up your printed booklets from the print shop or arrange for delivery to your location via our delivery person or shipping.

More about binding options for your Custom Booklet

saddle stich options

Saddle stitched Booklets

A common and economical method of booklet binding is to have them saddle stitch bound. Dave prints your pages, folds them in half, then gathers the sheets together and staples them in the spine of the fold. Each sheet printed represents 4 reading pages so saddle stitched booklets must come in page counts divisible by 4 (8-pager, 12-pager, 16-pager, and so on). Once your custom booklet is printed and saddle stitched, your booklets can be picked up, shipped, or delivered locally.

Coil binding and Wire binding

Plastic coil binding and Wire binding, are binding options that allow the finished booklet to be easily opened in a way that it lies flat. Both wire and coil binding options are cost effective and provide a clean professional look. A roll of holes are punched through your booklet on the binding edge. Then, either a color plastic spiral coil or a wire binding is then inserted through the holes to hold the printed sheets together. Custom printed covers and/or Clear plastic covers can be added to protect your document and showcase the quality of your booklet. Once printed and bound, your booklets are ready to go!

Perfect Bound Booklets

Perfect Binding or softcover books are formed when book pages are glued together at the spine. The cover is usually made from a thicker cardstock and coated to protect the book. The name “perfect” binding comes from the cut of the pages. All pages, including the cover, are printed oversized and then cut to be the same finished size and therefore line-up “perfectly”. Perfect bound books have a wide variety of purposes and we have seen them used for catalogs, magazines, portfolios, graphic novels, workbooks, and more. Perfect bound books can include between 36 pages and up to 92 pages!

Both ways work depending on the data you have for your list and the format is the same using Excel or Numbers.

Populate the spreadsheet with data

  1. Enter data under each column:
    • Starting in the second row, add your recipient information under each header.
    • Be sure that each row corresponds to a single recipient, so each row will include all information for one person.
  2. Check consistency:
    • Ensure data formatting is consistent across columns. For example, make sure all ZIP Codes have the correct format (numbers only) or all phone numbers follow the same pattern.
    • Avoid extra spaces in cells, which can cause issues when merging.

Step 3: Save your spreadsheet

Save the spreadsheet in a compatible format:

  • In Excel, save your file as an .xlsx or .xls file and also as a .csv file. Word (for mail merges) generally supports these formats without issue.
  • In Numbers, go to File > Export To > Excel and then again as .csv  to save the file in a compatible format.

Step 4: Troubleshooting Common Issues

  1. Check for blank rows or columns: These can interfere with your merge. Remove any unnecessary rows or columns before starting.
  2. Ensure data formats are correct: Sometimes, certain formats (like dates or currency) may not display correctly if the spreadsheet and the merge tool handle formatting differently. Adjust formats in the spreadsheet if needed.

You are ready to send your spreadsheet and letter or postcard file to Dave the Printer so we can get your mailing project going. 

Dave will do your mail merge, create a pdf proof and send that to you for approval.

If you have any questions please give us a call at 214-630-4017 or shoot us an email at service@davetheprinter.com


Summary

Setting up a spreadsheet for a mail merge in Excel or Numbers is a straightforward process:

  1. Create and label columns in your spreadsheet.
  2. Populate your data consistently.
  3. Save the file in a compatible format.
  4. Make a final check of your spreadsheet.
  5. Send your  postcard or letter and the spreadsheet to service@davetheprinter.com

With these steps, you’ll be ready to produce personalized documents quickly and efficiently!

Want to know how Dave uses your files to do your mail merge? See the next Blog: How will Dave the Printer use my spreadsheet and postcard  / letter file to create a mail merge?


Why use Dave the Printer?

As a family owned business, Dave the Printer has been bending over backwards for over 50 years to make sure the best direct mail printing projects are just the way you envisioned. We will not leave you waiting, we understand that time is money. Our team at Dave’s would be happy to meet you in person at our office in the Design District, or you can simply email us Print-ready files to service@davetheprinter.com. When your custom direct mail printing project is printed, we can handle the mailing side of the job. If you want to handle putting stamps on and taking your job to the Post Office, it can be delivered locally, shipped worldwide, or picked up at our convenient Dallas location. When you need “direct mail printing near me” …think of Dave the Printer. 

Contact us today to get a quote for your Direct Mail Printing Services.

214-630-4017 or email us at service@davetheprinter.com or use this Quote link and fill out the quote form.