How Much Does It Cost to Print 50 A5 Booklets?

At Minuteman Press Ipswich, 50 A5 saddle-stitched booklets at 16 pages cost £85 — £1.70 per copy, full colour throughout. Short-run digital printing makes small booklet quantities genuinely affordable; you no longer need to order 1,000 to get a sensible unit price.

What drives booklet price?

Factor	Effect
Page count	Near-linear: 24pp costs ~50% more than 16pp
Quantity	Unit cost falls steadily with volume
Size	A4 costs more than A5 (double the paper)
Cover	Self-cover cheapest; heavier 250gsm cover adds a little
Turnaround	Standard is 2–3 days; faster on request

Is 50 copies really worth printing professionally?

For event programmes, funeral orders of service, small product catalogues and portfolio booklets — absolutely. £85 total for a professional 16-page piece is less than most single online "design + print" bundles, and you proof it in person.

How do I keep the cost down?

Design to the minimum multiple of four pages that fits (page counts explained); choose A5 unless content demands A4; self-cover unless the piece needs to feel substantial; and supply print-ready single pages so no rework is needed.

What about menus and price lists?

Same product, same pricing logic. A 12pp A5 menu at 50 copies lands under the 16pp price. Wipeable lamination is available for tables — ask on the booklet page.

FAQ

Minimum order? No hard minimum — even 10 copies is printable; unit cost is just higher. Turnaround for 50 booklets? Typically 2–3 working days; genuinely urgent programmes can often be quicker — call first. Can you bind more than staples? Yes — wire and perfect binding for thicker documents; [binding compared](/blog/booklet-binding-options — see /guides/booklet-binding-options).