Do perfect-bound booklets lay flat when opened?

Not really. A perfect-bound booklet has a glued spine that resists opening fully, so the pages curve inward toward the center rather than lying flat. That is fine for straight-through reading but can be awkward for anything you need to keep open hands-free.

• Perfect binding: clean printable spine and a polished look, but pages spring back toward the center.
• Saddle stitch: opens flatter and is easy to spread, best for shorter page counts.
• Coil or spiral binding: lies completely flat and even folds back on itself, ideal for reference use.

If lying flat is a priority, such as for manuals, workbooks, or recipe books, choose saddle stitch or coil binding. If a bookstore-quality spine matters more, perfect binding is worth the tradeoff.