It’s taken late nights. Countless drafts. Endless edits. But after all the hours you invested, you’re finally ready to transform your hard work into a printed booklet. And whether it’s a sales packet, an informational brochure, or a product catalogue, our versatile, affordable saddle-stitch binding services deliver only the highest quality for your project—to reflect the same caliber of the work you put into it.
Design? Done.
You don’t have to be a Photoshop master to create a million-dollar booklet design. At Printivity, we put our expertise to work for you—providing guidance on visuals to elevate your business.
Check, check, and check again
At Printivity, we never blindly press the “print” button. Instead, we take the time to review your files and create a digital proof that works for you. And if we think there’s another option that’s better for your order, we’ll let you know—without delaying final delivery.
Our service promise
Our policy is simple: we guarantee that your project will meet your expectations. If not, we’ll reprint it for free or give you a full refund. For more details, check out our terms and conditions.
The cover is arguably the most important aspect of a book, at least when it comes to grabbing your audience’s attention. Holding their attention is another story, literally. Regardless if you are self-publishing or have a publishing house, you are going to need to think about your print saddle stitch booklet cover design. Here are our tips for designing a book cover that will boost your print saddle stitch marketing strategy.
You do not need to be a professional designer to design your own book cover, although it wouldn’t hurt. Familiarize yourself with design software such as Canva, Photoshop, or Illustrator. Once you are comfortable with the tools, you are good to go.
Make sure you pay attention to the covers of similar books that are on the market. Take note of which books are most popular and some key elements of their covers. What aspects do you like the most? What do you not like? You do not need to, and you should not copy another book cover, but you can draw inspiration from them and use them as guides. Hop on Amazon or take a trip to your local bookstore and save images of your favorite covers. Even save covers you don’t like so you know what to avoid when designing your own book cover.
Once you have some ideas generated, start saving different elements. Are there certain images you want to include? Start tracking down all the collateral you are going to need and keep it in one folder so you can easily access it all when you are ready to start putting it all together. If you have a special font in mind, make sure you download that and load it into your software. Keep in mind that with all things on the internet such as images and fonts, you have to make sure you choose ones with the right license that allows you to use them for your book cover.
When in doubt, keep it simple. Simplicity never fails. If you are having doubts about your design or you just are not satisfied with how it is coming out, try removing some elements. It is best to avoid using too many different fonts, colors, and images. Focus your cover art on a strong focal point. One thing to keep in mind is how readers read a page. Most books read left to right and top to bottom, so your cover should follow this design as well. It is best to avoid placements that pull your eye in the opposite direction.
The rule of thirds is a great layout guide that can help piece your elements together in an appealing way. The idea here is that the main horizontal elements of your cover, such as the title or image, should cross your cover at the top or bottom third. This helps divide the central focal point, title, and author information into a visually balanced grid. This guide is often followed in many different forms of art, including photography and painting.
The image and font you use are the two main components of your print saddle stitch booklet cover. When choosing these elements, you should consider them as one, as they will need to work together to convey the message you want. Believe it or not, the wrong font could clash with your image and completely ruin your cover. Different fonts will convey different emotions, so it is important that you choose one that matches the tone you want your cover to set. If you are writing a horror novel, it is best not to use a romantic script font.
If you are designing your first book cover, it can be overwhelming, and easy to go overboard. Try to avoid certain design techniques that may come across as gimmicky such as outlining your font or drop shadows. It is super easy to take your cover from fab to drab with these trends that should not see the light of day anymore. If you do have any questions about how something looks, consider asking friends and family for their opinions. Just make sure you ask people that will be 100% honest and not sugarcoat or tell you what they think you want to hear.
Once you have your design finalized, you can start to think about the final special touches you want to apply to your finished printed product. Consider making your title pop with a spot gloss finish, or add a UV coating for an extra special, polished cover.
Designing a successful book cover is a daunting task, and ultimately if you don’t feel comfortable doing it yourself that is totally ok and there are other options. Consider consulting a freelance designer for tips or even having them design it for you. There are plenty of platforms out there such as Fiverr and Upwork that feature professional designers specializing in all kinds of styles and services. Start looking through portfolios and find a designer with a style that you like and reach out to them. If it’s a good fit, you can hire them to design your book cover for you!
If you are ready to get your design to the press, or if you have any questions about the design process or saddle stitch book printing, reach out to Printivity to chat with an expert at 1-877-649-5463.