Brochure design

The fold decides more than the layout does. It sets the reading sequence, how many separate messages you can deliver, and whether the piece makes sense to someone who picks it up with no instructions.

So we choose it before writing a word, not after.

Formats we work in

Bi-fold — one message with supporting detail. The most forgiving format, and usually the right answer when you are unsure.

Tri-fold — three to six discrete items. Note the flap panel: the reader sees it alone before the full spread opens, so it has to carry a complete thought rather than the first third of one.

Z-fold — genuinely sequential content, where the physical unfolding mirrors a process or timeline.

Gate fold — a single reveal. Theatrical, and wasted on a price list.

Roll fold — dense content in a compact finished size.

Saddle-stitched booklet — past about ten panels, folding stops working and binding starts. Page count must be a multiple of four.

Which one fits your content: brochure formats and folds.

The production side

This is where brochures come back from the printer with queries.

Panel widths are not equal thirds. On a tri-fold, the inner tucked panel has to be 2–3 mm narrower or the piece buckles when folded. We take dimensions from your printer's template rather than dividing the sheet.

Text stays off the folds. Minimum 3 mm clearance, because copy sitting on a crease is unreadable and looks unplanned.

Bleed and safe area on every outer edge — 3 mm bleed, 4–5 mm safe area — so trimming variance cuts artwork rather than text.

Colour converted deliberately to CMYK with your printer's profile, with Pantone references for brand colours. Vivid greens and electric blues do not survive the conversion, and we would rather you saw that on screen than on paper.

Rich black on solids, 100% K on small text. Getting this backwards produces either washed-out charcoal or coloured fringing on type.

Scoring specified for any fold above 170 gsm, because heavier stock cracks along an unscored fold.

What you receive

• Press-ready PDF with bleed, crop marks, and fold marks on a separate layer
• CMYK, correct ICC profile, Pantone references
• 300 dpi at final size
• Fonts outlined
• Layered source files, editable
• A digital version for email and web, if you need one
• Written transfer of ownership on final payment

We also send the printer specification alongside — stock weight, coating, scoring, finish — so you are not translating between us and them.

How a project runs

1. Purpose. Who receives this, in what situation, and what you want them to do. A brochure handed out at an exhibition and one posted to prospects are different documents.

2. Format. Chosen against the content, then confirmed against your printer's capabilities and budget.

3. Content structure. Content mapped to panels before design begins. This is the step that prevents copy flowing awkwardly across folds.

4. Design. Two directions, developed.

5. Dummy. We print the layout at actual size, fold it by hand, and read it as a stranger would. This catches what screen review cannot — a panel revealing in the wrong order, a piece that is confusing to open.

6. Production. Press-ready files, delivered with the printer specification.

What we will tell you honestly

If your content does not divide into discrete chunks, a tri-fold will fight you and a bi-fold will serve you better.

If you are trying to fit four services into six panels, we will suggest choosing one — or making four pieces. A brochure selling everything sells nothing well.

If the piece will be read for fifteen seconds and binned, we will steer you away from soft-touch lamination and toward spending the difference on distribution.

Recent work

Related reading

Preparing artwork for print · Paper stock and finishes · Why colours look different in print

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