I like a regular 8.5″x11″ tri fold brochure. It’s a great size for holding just the right amount of information, but small enough to be easily distributed. It can also be mailed fairly easily. I usually design at least one brochure per week. I always start with the same templates. One Photoshop document for the front/outside and one for the back/inside. I then place these into an InDesign document that has guides already setup. You can download these tri fold brochure templates if you think they might be useful.
Included in the tri fold brochure download:
Above are two diagrams of where to set your folding guides in your graphics program. By “folding guides” I mean where the brochure will be folded once it’s printed. I prefer to set the guides as such for an 8.5″x11″ folded brochure in order to allow for the inner fold and to prevent bunching during production. Basically there is a sixteenth inch(.0625″) difference between the front/back panels and the panel that will be folded inside. Some printers actually trim this sliver of paper from the final printed piece before in goes to the folding machine. You should always check with your printer before you start your project and ask questions. This will save time and potentially costly mistakes.
Printing a tri fold brochure:
I use my local Little Rock, Arkansas print shop whenever possible because I love building that relationship. I have a customer service representative that is easier to contact. And those local relationships pay off dividends in other areas of my business.
Effective brochure content:
I have a post describing the aspects of an effective tri fold brochure design. Make your text simple and easy to read. Have a clear point and keep things concise. Always make a plea to call your potential customers to action. I would love to design a brochure for you! Contact me to get your project started.