Catalogues print in signatures — groups of 8 or 16 pages. Page count is therefore not free: it must be a multiple of four, and unit cost usually drops when it rounds to a multiple of sixteen. Drawing the page plan before the copy is written avoids the cost surprise that appears when someone later says two more pages are needed.
Binding follows thickness. Saddle stitching is cheap on slim catalogues and lets pages open flat; as bulk increases, inner pages begin to creep outward and lose margin at trim. Past a certain thickness, perfect binding sits cleaner.
In product photography, colour consistency matters more than the quality of any single image. The same product appearing in two different tones on two pages damages the catalogue's credibility directly, which is why we bring images into one colour profile and compare them on a press proof.
Cover and inner pages are rarely printed on the same stock. Inner pages usually sit between 115 and 170gsm while the cover moves up to 250–300gsm; the difference makes the catalogue feel more solid in the hand and extends its shelf life. Matt lamination on the cover noticeably delays scuffing on catalogues that pass through many hands.
Page numbers and contents placement decide how quickly a thick catalogue can be searched. Numbers set near the outer edge stay visible while pages are turned; the closer they move to the inner edge, the more they disappear into the binding. Colour coding or edge tabs per section reduce how often the reader has to return to the contents page.
Technical options
- Common sizes
- A4, A5, square (21 × 21 cm)
- Pages
- Multiple of four; multiples of sixteen cost less
- Binding
- Saddle stitch (slim), perfect bound (thick), wire-o
- Stock
- Cover 250–350gsm, text 115–170gsm
Related services
Frequently asked
Why must page count be a multiple of four?
Printing happens on both sides of a sheet, and a folded sheet produces four pages. Intermediate counts are therefore not possible; any shortfall is filled with blank pages.
Saddle stitch or perfect binding?
On slim catalogues saddle stitching is economical and lets pages lie flat. As the spine thickens, perfect binding sits neater and allows spine text, though pages no longer open fully.
Is print still needed alongside a digital catalogue?
At trade fairs, site visits and dealer meetings a printed catalogue still does its job. Most clients use both: the printed version in the meeting, the PDF shared afterwards.
How should product photos for a catalogue be prepared?
Shooting every product under the same light and from the same angle is a precondition for a consistent layout. For print, images need to meet 300 dpi at the size they will be reproduced; small files prepared for screen break up when enlarged.
Should a catalogue include a price list?
Prices change faster than the catalogue does. When they are embedded in the pages, a single increase makes the whole print run unusable; produced as a separate insert, only that insert has to be reprinted.
How long does catalogue printing take?
Page count and binding method decide this one. A slim saddle-stitched catalogue moves quickly, while a thick perfect-bound one needs curing time that cannot be shortened. Approving the final content also takes longer than the printing on most projects; as page count rises, so do the rounds of correction.
How does a heavy job like a catalogue reach a distant address?
A catalogue weighs what its page count multiplied by its paper weight comes to, and on larger runs carriage becomes a line of its own. Splitting the job is still not advised: printing cover and inner pages in separate places leaves a colour difference that shows once bound. Production is therefore kept in one place and the shipment planned from the start.
What is examined at the proofing stage of a catalogue?
With a high page count the review is not image by image but about the consistency of repeating elements: page numbers, running heads and margins. The second check is the inner margin, because binding takes some space into the spine, and text or images sitting too close to the centre look cramped once the book is opened.
Is it possible to print a small number of catalogues?
It is, though the binding method shifts with the quantity. On short runs saddle stitching and digital printing work together; as the quantity rises, perfect binding and offset become both more economical and cleaner. The higher the page count, the lower that switching point falls, because weight and curing time enter the picture.