When you start to design a printed publication, it is always important to have in mind what the final product will look like in your customer’s hands. An essential element of that design is the folding or finishing. What are the factors that one must consider when preparing a printed product that will need to be folded?
- The starting and final dimensions of the product.
- How much information will need to be conveyed with this publication?
- How will it be distributed?
- If mailed, remember, the cost of postage is determined by the weight and dimensions. Also, if it is a standalone mailing piece, it may need to be tabbed for mailing.
- Will it need to fit into a certain size envelope?
- Will it need to fit into a display rack?
- The number of panels or sections that the information and graphics will require.
- Are your graphics the appropriate size for the panels and/or the group of panels?
- Will the text flow through the panels?
The standard printing sizes for folded brochures are 11” x 8.5”, 14” x 8.5”, 17” x 11”, and 25.5” x 11”. For consistency throughout the descriptions, the dimensions are listed as width x height.
These popular folding methods and can be used with all of the standard printing sizes listed above. These methods, listed in approximate order of their popularity are:
| Trifold |  |
Bifold |  |
| Z-Fold |  |
Accordian Fold |  |
| Double Parallel Fold |  |
Parallel Map Fold |  |
| French Fold |  |
Gate Fold |  |
We are proud to announce that we have added new folding options and now offer all of these on our brochures, all easy to order on our website! Check them out in detail at our Help Center.
May 25th, 2009 at 2:46 pm
This is awesome. Thank you!
May 26th, 2009 at 11:57 am
Great post – I have been reading your reqs all weekend and all your help and descriptions have been great. So many options!