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The amount of information that accompanies many products is astounding. As the size of product packaging - as well as the products themselves - continues to get smaller, fitting this information into a small physical area becomes more of a challenge. One popular solution is small format saddle stitching. Common applications include consumer product booklets, instruction sets, hang tags and other promotional devices. Small format stitched products must be planned carefully to turn out properly. Here are a few tips to keep in mind to ensure smooth production:
 • Size multiple-up “untrimmed” books properly so they can be automatically stitched on high speed machinery. At Rickard Bindery, our minimum size for inline automatic production is 2-1/2” x 3-1/2” upright. If your product is smaller than the minimum size, layout multiple-up forms (2- to 5-out) properly for offline trimming.
• Since the smallest stitching heads are 1 3/4” wide, any multiple up format with a backbone of less than 1 3/4” would have to allow for an additional margin between books to reach the minimum of 1 3/4”.
• As with all saddle stitched products, shingling of the inside signatures remains a constant issue even at such small sizes. Don’t forget to account for shingling in your layouts.
• With full bleed covers on smaller, thicker books, be sure to leave at least an 1/8” margin to account for the bulk of the book. This way, color will reach the face of the trimmed book.
The Rickard Advantage
Small format saddle stitching requires plenty of planning and production expertise to be sure products look their best. Involve Rickard Bindery and rest easy knowing that we have the folding, gluing, rotary scoring and stitching capabilities necessary to produce your projects efficiently and economically.
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