Perfect Binding, commonly called "Soft Cover" or "Paperback" binding, is a binding method where the inside pages are stacked on top of each other, and the cover is wrapped around and glued in place. It is called Perfect Binding because the books are trimmed on the 3 non-spine edges after binding, producing a "perfect" finish as the pages all line up and the book has sharp square corners. Other telltale features of this binding method are the square spine that is often printed on and the "hinges" on the front and back covers. These hinges are created because the cover is not only glued on the face of the spine but on the front and back cover as well. The usual glue area is .25" from the edge of the spine to ensure the cover and pages stay secure.

The minimum page count is generally 48 inside pages. However, the thickness of the paper does have an impact. The true minimum is not a certain number of pages but the overall thickness of the finished piece. Perfect binding requires the book to be a minimum of .125" thick otherwise the pages might not glue properly and could fall out. Therefore if a thicker paper is chosen, 44 or 40 pages might be possible, whereas if a thinner paper is desired, 52 or 56 pages might be needed to get up to the required thickness.

Page counts up to 400 pages can be done with Perfect Binding, but extra caution is needed for such high numbers of pages. This is due to the structure of the binding and the fact that the book should not be opened too far, or there is a risk of breaking the spine. Therefore a book with smaller dimensions might not have enough space for sufficient margins to keep the content far away enough from the spine gutter. If a thick book is desired and/or the application requires the book to open wide and lay flat on a table, there is a specific type of perfect binding called "lay flat" binding that, as the name suggests, would allow this without risking the spine breaking. This is not the standard for perfect binding as there are additional operations required, so if this is needed, then a custom estimate would be required.

Perfect Binding is the only binding method, aside from Hardcover (Case) Binding, that allows for printing on the spine and therefore is very popular for publications that will be stored on shelves, such as novels, magazines, catalogs, or manuals. It is also useful if there is a desire for artwork on the spine to add an extra touch. Perfect Binding is usually the preferred option for these applications as Hardcover (Case) Binding is much more expensive, as unless the quantity is in the thousands (say 5000+), much of the work is still done by hand or mostly by hand. We can print on the spine, however, it first needs to be calculated based on the number of pages and the thickness of the inside paper. It is recommended that you upload your print-ready file with the page size set as the trim + bleed and then email our support team to provide you with the thickness of the spine so you can submit the file separately.

The general margins for booklets is a minimum of .25" or 1/4" on all edges. However, an additional margin of .25" or 1/4" should be allowed on the spine edge (for a total of .5" or 1/2"). This includes space for the glue itself as well as margin to ensure that no content "falls" into the spine and becomes difficult to read or obscured.

It allows for printing on the spine, ideal for book titles, issue numbers, seasons, etc. It has a very clean, professional finish due to the final trim. Because the books are so square, they stack very well. It allows for a wide range of page counts. While Perfect Binding does cost more than other binding methods, it is still a fairly economical binding method for a very professional finish. This binding method works for a wide range of applications, such as product catalogs, magazines, manuals, company profiles, or novels.

You should be fine with the 100# text paper.

1. Download the InDesign template. Go to the Corner Stapled Bound Documents page and choose your product options. Once you have chosen your last option scroll down and click on the Id icon to download the template.2. Place your design on the Your Design layer. Do not modify the document dimensions.3. All design elements that are supposed to go to the edge of the paper must be extended to the bleed line.4. Keep all the important design elements (text, logos etc.) within the safe zones. 5. If you use images in your design they must be set to 300ppi resolution and to CMYK colour mode.6. All lines should be at least 0.25pt.How to save a print-ready PDF file in Adobe InDesign1. Turn off the visibility of all template layers. Only leave the Your Design layer active.2. Go to File / Export. For the file type, choose Adobe PDF (Print). Click Save.3. On the General tab, choose Press Quality preset. Check All Pages and Export As Pages.4. On the Marks and Bleeds tab, check Use Document Bleed Settings.5. Click Export.

Margins and Columns are important tools for creating the structure of a document, whether it is a multipage document or a poster. The first that should be defined are the margins. Before this is done, it is important to understand their function. Visually, margins cage the content and support the structure of a layout. They provide a resting place for the reader's eyes as well as supporting the tone of the design. There are also some common practical functions to consider:  How much room is needed for holding the content?  How is the item going to be used? Will it be bound?  Are there other considerations that need to be taken into account? One example would be a street poster/advertisement where the print is held in a large frame, requiring oversized margins. Has enough "Safe" margin bee allowed? This is the distance between the edge of the piece and any elements to ensure nothing is cut off.When defining margins for facing-pages, the two pages should be treat as one document and appear together. This layout will typically be used for newsletters, reports, magazines etc. Margins are usually set in the following order: inside (smallest), top, outside and bottom (largest).  Start by going to File > New > Document. Within the floating palette three quarters of the way down is the margin section  
Changing Margins 
Once the margins are set using the new document palette, it is possible to redefine them. Make sure to select the pages to be edited. Check this by opening the Pages palette, if it is not open go to Window > Pages. 

Once the palette is open hold down Shift and click the pages to be edited and go to layout > Margins and columns. Within this option box the measurements can be edited. By using this method it is possible to have different margin setups on each individual page, just select one or a number of pages still holding down shift and go into the Margins and Columns palette. The pages which were not selected will remain the same.  How to Make Columns in InDesign
1. First, load an existing InDesign project or select "File" > "New" to start a new one. In the New Document window, choose the Number of Pages and Page Size, and then find the Columns section. 

Here, the number of columns to add on each page can be defined, and how much blank space to have between columns (the Gutter setting). InDesign will automatically adjust the columns so that the gutter width is maintained throughout the project.        

2. If the document is an existing project, it only takes a few steps to add new columns. First, find the Pages menu and double-click on the page that need to be edited. Click on the page that the columns are to be added to, and then choose "Layout" > "Margins and Columns" (or press Ctrl/Command+B). In the Columns section, the desired number of columns and gutter width can be added.   

3. Finally, any overset text in the project can be placed in a new column. To do this, draw a text frame next to an existing column, choose the Selection tool, and click on the overset text icon (it looks like a red + symbol). Move the cursor over the new text frame until it changes shape, and then click once. Now, the overset text will continue into this new column.  

How to Add Columns to a Text Frame
To create columns in an existing text frame, choose the Selection tool and click on a frame to select it. Then, go to "Object" > "Text Frame Options". Just like the Margins and Columns window, this dialog box allows the number of columns, the gutter width, and column width to be defines. If "Fixed Column Width" is selected, the column width will stay the same when the text frame is resized. Finally, if "Balanced Columns" is enabled, the text will be dispersed between columns so that each text block is the same length. 
 
How to Add Columns to Master/Spread Pages
To add columns to multiple pages across an InDesign project, first find the Pages menu and click on a master page. If only one spread is to be targeted, just click on the page numbers that comprise the entire spread. Next, choose "Layout" > "Margins and Columns", and adjust the columns and gutter width for that spread.