Collated vs. Uncollated

What do collated and uncollated mean?

To collate means to collect in a specific order. This typically refers to printing and collecting pages in a specific order. This is a critical step when assembling books before binding.

Let’s say you need three copies of a ten page book. With collated printing, we can print pages one through ten in order, before starting on the next copy. This results in three stacks of ten pages already in the correct order. These stacks can then be bound immediately after printing.

Uncollated is the opposite of collated. It means that pages are not printed in any specific order. This is typically used for standalone sheets.

Producing the same ten page book with uncollated pages is different from the process of producing it with collated pages. With uncollated printing, three copies of page one will be printed before three copies of page two are printed, and so on until all pages are printed. This results in ten stacks of 3 copies of each page. Someone now has to go through all of the stacks and collate the pages by hand before binding can begin.

When should you use collated printing?

Collated printing should be used any time a product’s pages need to be in a specific order. Here are some examples:

• Booklets
• Instruction manuals
• Programs
• Newsletters
• Flashcards
• Product information packets
• Portfolios

When should you use uncollated printing?

Uncollated printing is perfect for printed products that don’t need to be in a specific order. This can be sets of information sheets, posters, classroom printouts, brochures, and other single sheet products.

For more information about collated printing, check out our Collated Printing FAQ.