Back when I worked for a technical writing firm, we would self-publish and print manuals and other documentation for our clients.  We did this by printing the documents on high quality printers, cutting pages down to size if necessary, and binding them using a binding machine and plastic binding combs.

This gave me an idea, and as an experiment I printed and bound a booklet I had written for a technical writing class.  The result was a highly professional-looking bound booklet that is now part of my portfolio.

To print and self-publish booklets, you will need the following:

• Heavy paper – You want your paper to be thick enough that print from the other side won’t show through, and heavy and smooth enough to have a professional appearance.
• Cardstock – You will want a heavy card stock or cover stock to use as the front and rear covers of your booklet.
• A good printer – For the most professional-looking booklets, you will want a printer that turns out very high quality copies.  If you are printing a large quantity of booklets, you will also want to have a printer that has affordable ink refills and doesn’t blow through them too quickly.
• A paper cutter – If you need to cut your pages down to a 3/4 or 1/2 size sheet, a paper cutter will be your best bet for getting smooth, straight edges and maintaining a professional appearance.  You have many different choices of paper cutters.  Traditional guillotine cutters might be sufficient if you are only cutting a few pages, but if you have more than that you’ll want a more efficient method — for instance, electric paper cutters, which save you from having to do the grunt work.
• Plastic binding combs – For a really professional look, bind your booklets using plastic binding combs.
• A binding machine – These handy little machines make professional binding a snap.  Below is a video that shows you how to use a standard binding machine.

With the right tools and materials, turning out professional-looking self-published booklets and manuals is actually pretty easy!

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