The Ultimate Guide to Collated vs Uncollated Printing

Collated vs uncollated? What’s the difference between them? How and why they are effective? Which one should you choose? These questions come to mind when you are stuck with the terms “collated” and “uncollated” in your printer settings. Still confused about which is better? Not to worry. This mystery is resolved now!

This blog will lay out all the facts about collated and uncollated printing methods and cover everything you need to know. Let's start over from the beginning.

Understanding Collate in Printing

The term collate clears its definition as collecting or combining (text, information, or set of figures) in the prim order. This printing process involves printing multiple pages in an organized manner. When the printer is commanded to collate, it will print them in a sequence from the first page to the last page before printing the next copy.

For example, you are printing a 5-page magazine and need 3 copies. You will select “collate” in the printer settings. The collated printer will print collated copies. It will print a set of 5 pages and repeat 3 times (1,2,3,4,5, 1,2,3,4,5, 1,2,3,4,5). As a result, it will print out the 3 sets of 5 printed pages.

Some Examples of Collated Print:

To understand better, here are collate printing examples: 

• Books
• School textbooks
• Presentation
• Legal briefs
• Magazines
• Large documents
• Instruction manuals
• Reports
• Where printing pages in order is important

When to Print Collate:

Go with the collated print option when you need to print multiple-page documents in the right sequence. From reports and booklets to business proposals and presentations, you can print their pages in an organized manner. It will take your manual sorting out worry away from you.

Key Benefits of Collated Printing

Following are the advantages of collate for printing.

Saves Time:

Saves your precious time by eliminating the need for sorting out bulk copies of documents manually.

Minimizes Efforts:

Automate the task of printing large copies, which reduces your efforts.

Reduces Errors:

Gives you peace of mind that every set of documents is organized without any mistake.

Better Accuracy:

It minimizes the risk of mixing up pages, ensuring each copy is complete and in the right order.

Convenience:

Collated pages in an organized and correct sequence are ready to use immediately.

Professional Appearance:

Gives a more organized and professional look for presentations, reports, and other business documents.

Also Read: The Supreme Guide To Understanding Collate Printing Technique

What Does Uncollate Mean When Printing?

Uncollated printing is a way of printing multiple copies of each page. Pages are not sorted in order, and each page is grouped together. Offering flexibility to different projects, this method is ideal for printing flyers, business cards, and posters.

For instance, if you are printing a 10 page document and you need 5 copies. You will select uncollated. The printer will print all 5 copies of page 1, followed by 5 copies of page 2, and so on.

Uncollated Printing Examples:

• Flyers
• Handouts
• Notices
• Forms
• Tickets
• Brochures
• Posters

When to Choose Uncollated Printing:

If you want to hand out a copy of a flyer to people, uncollated printing helps you print a bulk of copies. You will simply stack them on the counter, and people can easily grab them.

For distributing single-page handouts among people, take advantage of uncollated printing to print many pages together and distribute them without hassle.

Collated vs Uncollated: What's the Difference Exactly?

In simple words, both collated and uncollated are part of printing documents.

Collated:

Pages are printed and arranged in sequence for each copy of a document. For example, if you are printing 2 copies of a 3-page document, the output will be (1,2,3) and (1,2,3).

Uncollated:

Pages are grouped by page number. They are not printed in a complete set. For instance, when you print 2 copies of 3-page document, the printout will be (1,1, 2,2, 3,3).

Final Reflection

You now have a clear understanding of collated vs uncollated printing methods. Knowing both of these techniques is essential for ensuring efficient document handling and presentation.

Collated refers to printing pages sequentially, making it ideal for presentations and reports. Uncollated means disarranged, which prints all copies of each page before moving to the next. But it can be more efficient for bulk printing tasks.

To discuss your packaging and printing needs, don’t hesitate to contact Custom Product Packaging‘s team of large-format print specialists. You can quickly drop us an email at orders@customproductpackaging.com.