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An A5 booklet has pages of 148 x 210mm, made from A4 sheets printed on both sides, folded in half and stapled twice along the spine. We print A5 stapled booklets with 8, 12, 16, 20 or 24 pages, covers included, in full colour on 170gsm silk throughout, from 50 copies. 50 A5 booklets of 8 pages cost £54, with no VAT to add where they qualify for zero-rating, and delivery is free to UK mainland addresses.
A5 booklet size
| Measurement | A5 booklet |
|---|---|
| Closed page size | 148 x 210mm (14.8 x 21cm, 5.83 x 8.27in) |
| Open size (a spread) | 296 x 210mm, close to A4 landscape |
| Each page in your PDF, with 3mm bleed | 154 x 216mm |
| Pixels per page at 300dpi, with bleed | 1819 x 2551px |
| Safe area | Text and page numbers 8mm inside the trim, a little more by the spine |
| Binding | Two staples through the spine (saddle stitched) |
| Paper | 170gsm silk, cover and inside pages the same (self cover) |
Each A4 sheet folds to make four A5 pages, which is why the page count goes up in fours. The A5 booklet page has the full specification and the price for every page count.
Page counts for A5 booklets
| Pages, covers included | A4 sheets folded together | Inside pages |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | 2 | 4 (pages 3 to 6) |
| 12 | 3 | 8 (pages 3 to 10) |
| 16 | 4 | 12 (pages 3 to 14) |
| 20 | 5 | 16 (pages 3 to 18) |
| 24 | 6 | 20 (pages 3 to 22) |
The front cover, inside front cover, inside back cover and back cover all count as pages. If your content comes to 10 or 14 pages, round up to 12 or 16 and use the extra pages for contents, photos or notes. Our booklet page count guide explains how to plan pages and set up a booklet in Word.
What A5 booklets are used for
A5 is a comfortable size to hold in one hand, slip into a bag or leave on a seat. It suits:
- funeral and wedding orders of service;
- concert, theatre, school and sports programmes;
- menus and drinks lists;
- small product catalogues and price guides;
- parish, club and community newsletters;
- welcome packs, handbooks and course guides.
If most of your pages are text, A5 is easy to read. If you have large photos, tables or diagrams, an A4 booklet gives them twice the room; our A4 booklet printing guide covers that size. For four or six panels, an A4 folded leaflet folded to A5 or DL may be all you need.
Paper and finish
Every page, cover included, is printed in full colour on 170gsm silk. Silk is a coated paper with a soft sheen, so photos stay sharp and text is easy to read without glare. Using the same paper for the cover keeps the booklet light, flexible and easy to post. We do not offer a separate card cover or a laminated cover at the moment; our self cover guide explains the difference.
A5 booklet prices
Prices are order totals for A5 booklets on 170gsm silk, read from our live price list. Booklets are zero-rated for VAT where they qualify, so there is no VAT to add, and delivery to UK mainland addresses is free.
| Pages | 50 booklets | 100 booklets | 250 booklets | 500 booklets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | £54 | £64 | £89 | £109 |
| 12 | £62 | £76 | £113 | £153 |
| 16 | £64 | £86 | £128 | £188 |
| 20 | £70 | £95 | £160 | £224 |
| 24 | £73 | £88 | £185 | £276 |
The price per booklet falls as the quantity rises: 100 booklets of 8 pages cost 64p each, and 500 cost 21.8p each. The minimum is 50 booklets per design, so two different booklets are two designs.
Booklets are dispatched 5 to 10 working days after you approve your artwork, and mainland delivery usually takes a further 1 to 2 working days. Our delivery page lists the areas we quote separately.
Setting up an A5 booklet file
- One PDF of single pages in reading order, starting with the front cover and ending with the back cover. Do not send spreads.
- Each page 154 x 216mm, the A5 page plus 3mm of bleed on every edge. Our guide to what bleed is explains why.
- The page count in the PDF must match the count you order: 8, 12, 16, 20 or 24.
- Keep text 8mm inside the trim, a little more on the spine side, to allow for creep.
- CMYK, fonts embedded or outlined, images at 300dpi.
Our free booklet templates cover A5 at every page count, with each page labelled and the spine edge marked. The A5 8-page booklet also comes as a Word template. Our artwork guidelines list every check.
Proof and VAT
When you upload, a free automatic check looks at size, bleed, colour mode, resolution and fonts, and the on-screen proof shows every page in order so you can check the sequence before you pay. Add a manual proof in your basket if you want a person to check your file; see proofs and file checks.
Printed booklets, brochures and programmes are normally zero-rated under HMRC VAT Notice 701/10. A booklet made mainly for writing in, such as a diary or an order book, is standard-rated. Our VAT on printing page explains the rules.
Questions
What size is an A5 booklet? Each page of an A5 booklet is 148 x 210mm, or 14.8 x 21cm. Open flat, a spread is 296 x 210mm. In your PDF, each page is 154 x 216mm, including 3mm of bleed on every edge.
How many pages can an A5 booklet have? We print A5 stapled booklets with 8, 12, 16, 20 or 24 pages, counting the covers. The count goes up in fours because each A4 sheet folds to make four A5 pages.
How much do A5 booklets cost? 50 A5 booklets of 8 pages on 170gsm silk cost £54, and 100 cost £64. There is no VAT to add where booklets qualify for zero-rating, and delivery to UK mainland addresses is free.
What is the minimum order for A5 booklets? 50 booklets per design. You can also order 100, 250 or 500, and the price per booklet falls as the quantity rises.
What paper are A5 booklets printed on? 170gsm silk throughout, cover included. That is a self cover: the cover is the same paper as the inside pages. We do not sell a separate card cover at the moment.
Is an A5 booklet good for an order of service? Yes, it is a common choice. 8 pages gives room for a cover, the order of proceedings, readings or hymns and a thank-you, with 12 or 16 pages for longer services. Our order of service guide has a page plan.
Should I send my A5 booklet as spreads? No. Send one PDF of single pages in reading order, each 154 x 216mm with bleed. We arrange the pages for printing, and the on-screen proof shows every page so you can check the order.
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