A brochure is one of the most old-school marketing tools of man. For centuries, we’ve used brochures and pamphlets in various forms to entice viewers, convey a point, and start conversations.
Of course, brochures are as much an art as they are a science. The marketing of brochures lies in how information is conveyed, which means that printing brochures requires a careful balance.
Here’s what you need to know before you start your own brochure project.
Before You Get Started
Before you start looking into folded brochure options or examining pricing for online brochure printing services, you should spend some time figuring out what you want from your brochure.
For example, how much information are you trying to fit onto the brochure? Do you have a lot of words, or a lot of images? How much information do you need to convey?
The more information you’re trying to fit, the more space you’ll need, or the brochure will look crowded. On the other hand, if you have relatively little information, go for a smaller brochure with fewer folds, or the whole brochure will look sparse.
Also, think about the style of the brochure and the tone you want to convey. Do you want a serious, buttoned-up brochure or a fun brochure? What are you trying to present? Each style of brochure changes the overall personality of the brochure itself.
Brochure Sizing
With that in mind, let’s talk about sizing, which is one of the most basic elements of pamphlet printing.
Standard sizing for brochures includes:
- 4″ x 6″
- 5″ x 7″
- 8.5″ x 5.5″
- 8.5″ x 11″
- 8″ x 9″
- 8.5″ x 14″
- 11″ x 17″
- 9″ x 14″
Keep in mind that brochure sizing will be reduced by the folds in the brochure, so a 4″ x 6″ sheet would be too small for an accordion fold but would be the perfect size for a half fold or even a trifold.
Also, keep in mind that your content will affect your sizing options. If you have enough content to comfortably fit a standard letter-size sheet, an 8.5″ x 11″ brochure should fit the content nicely, though an 8.5″ x 14″ brochure will give you a bit more white space around your content.
Types of Brochure Folds
Because brochures are always folded, brochure folds and sizing considerations go hand-in-hand.
You see, brochures are unique because the actual shape and fold of the paper is just as much a feature of the marketing as the actual content. In other words, the way in which a viewer encounters information and the order of discovery is essential in creating an effective brochure.
The front page draws the viewer in, and each opened fold provides progressively deeper information. If you don’t have enough in-depth information to populate layers of folding, the folds may be wasted on your brochure.
With that in mind, here are the standard folds you can expect for brochures, what you can do with each of them, and standard sizing for most brochures using each fold.
Half Fold
A half fold brochure is the simplest of all the brochure folds. It’s simple enough that you can create a template in Microsoft Word.
A half fold brochure is exactly what the name implies–a sheet of paper folded in half. This creates two panels of equal size on each side, like a book. This fold option can work for almost any sizing, but to avoid overwhelming the viewer, it’s best to stick with smaller sizes (no bigger than 11″ x 17″).
The half fold is also ideal for straightforward information that doesn’t require additional fuss or canned responses. It’s a brochure designed to answer questions and allow you to move on to other concerns.
Spec sheets are a great choice for half fold brochures, as the half fold allows you to present technical information with minimal fuss.
Trifold and Z-Fold
The next step up the ladder is the trifold and Z-fold brochures. These two are very similar, so we’ll address them at the same time to clear up any confusion.
A trifold brochure and a Z-fold brochure both fold a sheet into three equally sized panels. In fact, most images showing trifold brochures and Z-fold brochures make them look exactly the same. They even work well with the same paper sizes–9″ x 12″ and up is the best option, though you can pack the most punch in a 9″ x 12″.
To be honest, the templates for trifold brochure printing and Z-fold brochure printing are identical. But, in trifold printing, there is a key difference: the center panel is labeled the “back panel,” whereas Z-fold brochures label this the “inside panel”.
That’s because the difference between a trifold and a Z-fold lies in how the three panels are folded together. In a trifold, you have a sheet folded in three panels, with the left and right panels folding over the center panel. This means that one side is naturally sealed, since one-third of the page is tucked under another.
A Z-fold folds in a Z shape, which is where it gets its name. The left and right panel fold over the center panel in opposite directions, so that when the whole brochure is unfolded, it creates an accordion effect, with the three panels coming together to function as one side of the page.
If you’re mailing out brochures, trifold brochures are the better choice, since the unfolded edges of a Z-fold brochure can easily get damaged when stuffed into an envelope. The trifold brochure also has more of a suspenseful experience when opening, since each panel is unfolded individually.
Accordion Fold
The accordion fold brochure is more complex, and thus requires larger sheets of paper in order to be successful. For an accordion fold, an 8.5″ x 14, 11″ x 17″, or larger sheets are ideal, simply because the sheets are folded so many times that a smaller sheet will result in panels that are too narrow to be useful.
The best way to understand an accordion fold is to try it out on a sheet of paper, so grab one. Start by folding it evenly in half. Then, without unfolding the two halves, fold each panel in half one more time, going in the opposite direction from your first fold.
This creates a zigzag pattern three times, resulting in an eight-page brochure. Or, put another way, it’s like two half-fold brochures put together, as if you opened two books side by side and connected their covers with a seam so that when you closed the two books, their covers would press against each other.
Because an accordion fold includes so many pages, it’s well-suited to brochures with a lot of information. It still allows for an element of suspense as the viewer unfolds the brochure, but the folded brochure is still visually appealing.
French Fold
Finally, there’s the French fold, which also has eight panels but is folded together differently from the accordion fold. Whereas an accordion fold allows you to unfold part of the brochure while leaving the other half folded, a French fold does not.
A French fold is quite simple–the simplest variety of four folded brochure, in fact. All you do is fold a sheet in half one direction, then fold it in half again perpendicular to the first fold. Think of how paper napkins are folded and you’ve got the right idea.
When you see a French fold, you’ll see a single panel, which you can then open like a book to see two panels, then open up again to see four panels. This makes the French fold more forgiving of smaller paper sizes and relatively durable for mailing purposes since much of the content is protected.
Types of Brochure Paper
Finally, don’t forget to account for the types of brochure paper.
Technically, you can make a brochure out of paper of any weight, but heavier paper offers a degree of elegance and durability. On the other hand, heavier paper is also harder to fold and may require scoring. Plus, most consumer printers are only designed to handle paper weights of up to 80 to 100 lbs, so think about whether you plan to print these at home or not.
Standard paper weights for brochures include:
- 20 lb
- 24 lb
- 32 lb
- 67 vellum bristol cardstock
- 80 lb (gloss or cardstock)
- 100 lb (gloss or cardstock)
- 10 pt
Vellum bristol cardstock is generally lighter (i.e. thinner) than traditional cardstock. For context, most average printer paper weighs between 20 lb and 32 lb.
If you’re still a novice when it comes to paper weights and how they translate into the feel of paper, check out our paper weight guide.
Ready to Print Brochures?
If you’re ready to get your brochures on the market, we’re here to help. We offer high-quality, professional brochure printing in full color, with options to choose everything from sizing to paper weight to folds. Check out our available options today to see how we can make your idea come to life.