Booklets and inserts for digipaks and ecopacks
Booklets and inserts for digipaks and ecopacks - live online pricing that updates instantly, with no hidden fees. A new design is approved on a preview before production.
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Booklets and inserts for digipaks and ecopacks - product details
Booklets and inserts for digipaks and ecopacks - Booklets and inserts are printed additions to digipaks and ecopaks. You can choose a simple 2-, 4- or 6-page insert, or a stitched booklet from 8 to 36 pages. This is extra room for lyrics, credits, photographs, information about the release or acknowledgements. You set the type of insert and the run in the calculator.
Booklets and inserts for digipaks and ecopaks - a supplementary product
The most important thing first: a booklet or insert is not disc packaging. It is a printed element placed inside a finished digipak or ecopak. Depending on the construction of the pack, the insert goes into a matching slot or into a card pocket.
This is where you can move the content that no longer fits on the cover itself.
When putting a release together, you usually choose the digipak or ecopak first and only then match a booklet to it. Inserts also fit CD-Box cases, which allow a thicker booklet than many card packs.
When a booklet is ordered separately
Most often the booklet is produced together with the packaging and the discs, but it can also be ordered as a separate product.
That makes sense when, among other things:
- you have packs left from a previous run but the content has changed - corrected text, a different line-up or a new list of sponsors,
- you are preparing a reissue and want to replace only the inside of the release,
- you need an additional language version or a variant prepared for a different audience.
In such cases we print the booklet in a version matched to the packaging you already have.
Type of pack - slot or pocket
The first choice in the calculator concerns how the booklet will be held in the pack. This is not only a visual difference. The construction also decides the possible thickness of the insert.
- For a pack with a slot - a narrow slot is cut in the board and the booklet or insert slides into it. A flat, simple solution, but the thickness of the material is limited by the width of the slot.
- For a pack with a pocket - the pocket is formed from the board of the pack itself and the insert slides in whole. A ticket, a folded poster, signed band photos or stickers can go there too. A pocket takes more pages and protects the edges of the paper better.
If you are not sure which variant your chosen pack has, check its technical specification or write to us.
A thicker booklet needs a pocket
This is one of the more important dependencies to know before you start designing the whole release.
The thickest booklets are not available for packs with a slot. Variants from 20 pages upwards can only be ordered for pocket constructions.
The reason is purely practical. A slot has a defined, narrow width. A stitched booklet gets thicker with every additional sheet, and the staple adds bulk at the spine. At 20 pages the insert starts to go in too tightly. Forcing it can lead to bent corners and creased paper.
A pocket has no such limit. It is open across a greater width, so the booklet can go in freely and flat.
If you are planning a substantial booklet with all the lyrics, photographs or additional information, it is best to choose a pack with a pocket from the start. Changing the construction later can mean rebuilding the whole layout. The calculator shows only combinations that can be produced correctly.
Insert or stitched booklet
The second option in the calculator covers eleven variants split into two groups.
- Insert - 2, 4 or 6 pages. A single or folded sheet of paper, with no stitching, spine or staples. The 2-page version is simply a sheet printed on both sides. The 4- and 6-page variants are sheets folded accordingly. This is enough for shorter material: a track list, a note about the release, contact details or a list of recordings.
- Stitched booklet - 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32 or 36 pages. Sheets are folded and joined with a staple at the spine, much like a thin exercise book. The greater volume makes it easy to lay out lyrics, a project description, photographs, acknowledgements, sponsor information, biographies or translations.
Why does each variant increase the page count by 4?
A sheet folded in half makes four pages: two on each side of the sheet. A stitched booklet is made of several such sheets nested one inside another, so its page count is always a multiple of four.
If the content runs to a little more than 16 pages, you have to choose the 20-page variant. The free page can then be used for a photograph or a motto, or left without additional content.
How many pages to choose - a practical guide
As a rough guide:
- Single or EP - an insert or an 8-page booklet. Enough for a few titles, a short note and contact details.
- Album - most often 12 or 16 pages. That volume fits a description of the record, the line-up, a few photographs and acknowledgements.
- Album with all the lyrics - usually 20-28 pages. Lyrics alone can take up a large part of a booklet.
- Monograph, anniversary or bilingual edition - 32 or 36 pages. An additional language version increases the volume very quickly.
The simplest approach is to prepare all the texts in an ordinary document and check how much space they actually take. Better to do that before typesetting begins than once the finished graphics stop accommodating the content.
What goes inside
A booklet for a music release most often carries:
- lyrics in the order they appear on the disc,
- the line-up and information about guest musicians,
- details of the people responsible for the recording, mixing and mastering,
- a description of the project or a word from the artist,
- photographs from the sessions, rehearsals and recordings,
- acknowledgements,
- logos of funding institutions and the required funding statements,
- the catalogue number, publisher markings and relevant codes.
The last two in particular are worth planning early. With funded releases, logos and required wording often have a defined minimum size. With several institutions they can take up a large part of a page, sometimes a whole one.
If you learn about such requirements only at the end of typesetting, you will have to take space away from other material.
How to prepare the file
One of the more common mistakes is preparing the booklet as finished spreads. Do not do this.
Send single pages in reading order: 1, 2, 3, 4 and so on to the last.
Imposition on the printing sheet is done on our side. With saddle stitching, individual pages later pair up according to the way the sheets are folded and produced.
The remaining requirements:
- 3 mm bleed on every side,
- texts, logos and page numbers at least 3 mm from the trim lines,
- colour in CMYK, not RGB,
- photographs at 300 dpi, fine elements preferably 600 dpi,
- a PDF file with fonts converted to outlines, or a flattened TIF in CMYK,
- black texts prepared as 100% black.
With a stitched booklet you also have to watch the spine. Sheets are nested one inside another, so pages closer to the middle of the booklet sit a little deeper. This is a natural effect of the construction.
So do not place important text or key parts of photographs right by the spine. With images running across two pages, plan the composition so that the most important elements do not fall exactly at the stitching.
Detailed information is in our file preparation guide.
Runs and ordering
We print booklets and inserts in runs of 50, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 1000 and 2000 pieces.
Smaller quantities work well for niche releases, reissues and reprints to match an existing stock of packaging. Larger runs are chosen mainly for releases going into regular distribution.
To order, first choose the type of pack, then the page count, and finally the run. The calculator will show the price and lead time for that specific configuration.
If you are ordering booklets, packaging and discs at the same time, note it in the order comments. We can prepare finished sets and place the inserts in the packs.
Booklets and inserts for digipaks and ecopacks - questions and answers
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Is a booklet a separate pack for the disc?
No. A booklet and an insert are printed additions placed inside a finished digipak or ecopak.
On their own they do not protect the disc and do not replace packaging. Depending on the construction chosen, the insert slides into a slot or into a pocket.
You can put content there that no longer fits on the cover: lyrics, credits, a project description, photographs or acknowledgements.
If you are looking for the right packaging, first choose a suitable digipak or ecopak and then match a booklet to it.
Can I order just the booklet, without packaging?
Yes. Such orders come up quite often.
You can order the insert alone if you still have packs from an earlier run but the content of the booklet has changed - corrected text, a different line-up or new sponsor logos.
The situation is similar with a reissue where the cover stays the same, or when preparing an additional language version.
Just tell us which pack the booklet should be matched to.
How do I know whether my pack has a slot or a pocket?
A slot is a narrow cut in the board that the booklet or insert slides into.
A pocket is part of the pack's construction and is formed from the board itself. The insert slides in deeper, usually whole.
Information about the construction is also in the technical specification of the pack. If you are still unsure, write to us with the pack symbol or send a photograph of it. We will advise which booklet variant to choose.
Why are there no variants from 20 pages upwards for a pack with a slot?
Because a booklet that thick no longer fits comfortably into a narrow slot.
With saddle stitching, every additional sheet increases the thickness of the booklet, and the stitching adds bulk. At 20 pages and more the insert would have to be forced in, which can lead to bent corners and creased paper.
That is why variants from 20 pages upwards are available only for packs with a pocket. A pocket has a larger opening and lets a thicker booklet slide in more freely.
What is the difference between an insert and a stitched booklet?
An insert has 2, 4 or 6 pages. It is a single or folded sheet of paper, with no staples and no separate spine.
It suits a track list, a short note, contact details or basic information about the release.
A stitched booklet has from 8 to 36 pages. Sheets are folded and joined with a staple at the spine, much like a thin exercise book.
That form fits far more: lyrics, an extended project description, photographs, acknowledgements, biographies or translations.
Why does the page count change in steps of 4?
It follows from the way a stitched booklet is made.
A sheet folded in half gives four pages: two on one side and two on the other. Further sheets are nested one inside another, so the page count of the finished booklet is always a multiple of four.
Hence the variants of 8, 12, 16, 20, 24 pages and so on.
If the content does not fit into 16 pages, you have to choose 20. The extra space can be used for a photograph, a motto or a calmer, less filled page.
How many pages for a single, and how many for an album?
For a single or an EP an insert or an 8-page booklet is usually enough. It fits a few titles, a short note and contact details.
For an album 12 or 16 pages are most often chosen. There is then room for a description of the record, the line-up, a few photographs and acknowledgements.
If the booklet is to contain all the lyrics, 20-28 pages are usually needed.
For a monograph, anniversary or bilingual edition, 32 or 36 pages are worth considering.
How are pages counted - does the booklet cover count too?
Yes. In printing, every surface of a booklet counts as a page, including the first and last and their reverses.
An 8-page booklet therefore consists of four sheets counted together with the surfaces that act as the cover.
It is worth allowing for this when planning content. The first and last pages are often given over to graphics, a title or publishing information, so there is less room for the main text than the page count alone might suggest.
What usually goes in a booklet?
For a music release, most often the lyrics, the line-up and guest musicians, information about the recording, mixing and mastering, a project description, photographs, acknowledgements, logos of funding institutions, the catalogue number and other publishing markings.
With training or company material the content will of course be different. Instead of lyrics there may be a programme, a table of contents, descriptions of the material and contact details.
My release is funded and logos are required - how do I plan for that?
Best to check the requirements before typesetting begins.
Funding institutions often specify a minimum size for logos and the exact wording of the funding statement. With several partners such elements can take up a large part of a page.
If you learn about them only at the end of the design work, there may be no room left for other content.
It is safer to allow suitable space from the start and choose the page count with a little margin.
How should the file be prepared - spreads or single pages?
Single pages, always in reading order: 1, 2, 3 and so on to the last.
Do not prepare finished spreads.
Imposition on the printing sheet is done on our side. With a stitched booklet, pages arrange themselves into the pairs that follow from the way the sheets are produced and folded.
A file with single pages in normal order is unambiguous and reduces the risk of a mistake.
What bleed, resolution and file format are needed?
Add 3 mm bleed on every side. Place texts, logos and page numbers at least 3 mm from the trim lines.
Prepare the artwork in CMYK, not RGB. Photographs should be at 300 dpi, and for fine elements 600 dpi is better.
Send the finished material as a PDF with fonts converted to outlines, or a flattened TIF in CMYK.
Prepare black texts as 100% black.
Detailed requirements are in our file preparation guide.
Why should important content not sit near the spine?
With saddle stitching, successive sheets are nested one inside another. Pages closer to the middle of the booklet therefore run slightly deeper into the spine.
This is a normal feature of the construction.
If text, a face in a photograph or another important element ends up very close to the stitching, it can be less comfortable to look at or read.
So keep important elements away from the spine, and plan photographs running across two pages so that the key part of the composition does not fall exactly at the stitching.
What runs can I order?
Runs of 50, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 1000 and 2000 pieces are available.
Lower runs work well for niche and pilot releases and for reprints to match an existing stock of packaging.
Larger quantities are chosen for publications intended for regular distribution.
You set the run at the end of the configuration in the calculator. The price and lead time are shown for the variant chosen.
Who is responsible for rights to the texts and photographs in the booklet?
Rights to all material sent for print are the customer's responsibility.
That covers lyrics, photographs, graphics, logos and commercial fonts, among other things. We print the file received from the customer and do not verify licences for its content.
It is worth checking these matters in advance, particularly with translations of lyrics and session photographs. With photography, usage rights do not always pass automatically to the publisher.