Mixed Paper Stock Books

When producing a notebook, you can choose to create a “mixed paper stock book.” This option allows us to use different types of paper within a single notebook, for example, by incorporating unique paper types at the beginning, end, or throughout the book.


A standard notebook is constructed from multiple signatures (also known as segments). Each signature contains 8 pages, providing 16 printable faces. These signatures are sewn together to create the book block. The total number of signatures required will depend on your final page count. Our standard notebooks use 8-page signatures, though this can be increased to 16 pages if needed.

For other notebook styles please note:

 

  • Ringbound notebooks allow special paper types to be inserted at any point in the book. Each insert consists of 1 page, providing 2 printable faces.
  • Cahier notebooks require special pages to be added in larger increments. Each insert must include 4 pages (2 folded sheets), providing a total of 8 printable faces to maintain the structure of the signature.


Mixed paper stocks can only be added to fully bespoke notebooks, we are not able to add a mixed paper stock to any of our ‘ready to brand’ or external notebooks (Castelli, Leuchtturm, Moleskine).

Key Terms:

Book block: The full stack of interior pages that have been folded and stitched together, before the cover is attached.

Signature (segment): A group of folded sheets that are sewn together to form part of the book block.

Sheet: One large sheet of paper; each signature contains four sheets.

Page: One half of a folded sheet; each signature contains eight pages.

Face: One printable side of a page; each page contains two printable faces, the front and back of each page.

Paper stock options include:

 

  • Gloss paper
  • Tracing paper
  • Heavier paper stocks
  • Kraft 
  • Coloured card

 

Because of the way a standard notebook is constructed, there are limitations on where additional paper stocks can be placed. If you want to include special paper stocks throughout your notebook, they must be inserted either on the outside or the inside of each signature.

Mixed Paper Stocks Inside The Signature

If you place a special paper type on the inside of each notebook signature then your digital design file will need to include four special paper stock pages (four printable faces) next to one another. For example the digital file of your first 8 page signature would look like the illustration below, totalling to 8 pages (16 printable faces) + 2 special pages (4 printable faces).

Pagination example for a book with mixes paper stocks placed inside signatures

Mixed Paper Stocks Outside The Signature

If you place a special paper type on the outside of each notebook signature then your digital design file will need to include two special paper stock pages (two printable faces) next to one another on either end of the signature. For example the digital file of your first 8 page signature would look like the illustration below, totalling to 8 pages (16 printable faces) + 2 special pages (4 printable faces).

Pagination example for a book with mixes paper stocks placed outside signatures

Please note that if you include a special paper stock on the outside of your signature, the special paper stock will only be added to every other signature so that a special paper stock (with 2 faces) is repeated every 8 pages.

 

Artwork Requirements:

 

1 × Pagination Document – A PDF showing all pages of the notebook, including any special pages. This document is used to confirm the exact placement of all special paper stock pages.

 

1 × Main Book Block File – A PDF containing the standard interior pages. Even if you don’t want fully printed pages and prefer basic ruled or dotted pages, we still require this file to produce the book block correctly.

 

1 × Special Stock Pages File – A PDF containing only the special paper stock pages, presented in the correct order in which they should appear in the final notebook.