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Graytex.com · 800-813-5828
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Since 1982
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Making Brochures
Article: Technical Guide
Fast
action guide to making brochures on Laser and
Inkjet Printers to achieve print-shop quality results
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References: Brochure Paper selection overview for making
brochures.
Making Brochures in-house...
...on
Laser, Color Laser, or Inkjet printers.
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This page is a step-by-step breakdown of the vital steps in
the process of successfully making brochures that will effectively
represent you and your company's offerings.
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 Making Brochures: Choosing a
Format
The
first two things you need to decide are the paper size and format that you
will use for making brochures. The most common brochure formats are
tri-fold 8.5 x 11 and half-fold (bi-fold) 11 x 17. Other variations
exist, but these two are the most practical for common brochure
applications.
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Tri-fold Brochure: A tri-fold brochure (8.5"x11"
or 8.5"x14") is more appropriate for making
brochures that are intended to be hand-held, easily carried, passed around,
placed into a jacket pocket, etc. This is also the common use for a
"take-one" box in a waiting reception area, front counter, or
desktop.
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11 x 17 Bi-fold Brochure ("half-fold"): Making
brochures to an 11 x 17 bi-fold format will result in a final brochure size
of 8.5 x 11. This format will accommodate a lot more
information and/or photos. This lends itself well as an insert in a
marketing pocket folder, or by itself when a grander presentation is sensible.
This format is appropriate for creating a more comprehensive
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presentation when your potential customer will have the time to
sit down
and browse the brochure (good for product catalogs).
Making Brochures: Layout, Design,
and Content
The impression you make in any marketing document must effectively
communicate your company's unique selling position. Why is your
product/company worth remembering for your customer? This is the
chief aim of making brochures for marketing your product or service.
Present your best angle in a straight-forward, no-nonsense way to capture a
business lead.
Front Cover: The front cover should be clean and simple to
include a company logo. Most importantly, it should be eye-catching
with a clearly-stated message that engages the reader.
Inside Panels: Include your specific selling points on the
inside panels. Well chosen pictures are essential to making the written
information more interesting and enticing to read. Your writing should
focus on customer benefits first and foremost. Describing product
features should be secondary to product benefits.
Back Cover: When making brochures remember to include summarized
or highlighted points about your company's products or services. It is
always worthwhile to concisely repeat the benefits of what you
offer. The back cover is also the appropriate location for pointing out
your company's experience or expertise.
Important: keep in mind,
some people may not read anything more than the front and back covers of your
brochure before deciding to put it down forever. Be as concise and
engaging as possible while maintaining a straightforward, approachable tone
to your words, as it relates to your type of customer.
Helpful
websites:
How to
use MS Word to create a tri-fold brochure at ComputerCompanion.com.
Also: refer to this interactive brochure template editor sponsored by Hewlett Packard.
Making Brochures: Final
Presentation Decisions
The choice of brochure paper strongly affects the overall impression of a
brochure. The paper type affects the split-second first impression created by your
brochure. It is as important as the visual impact of the front cover
design and the main selling point in its text.
Here's a look at papers from glossy to standard bright white...
High Level Impact - Glossy Brochure Paper: when making brochures
for most business services or products, a glossy brochure paper reinforces an
impression of competence and class. This is also widely accepted as the
most effective paper for achieving a commercially-printed look (i.e.
print-shop quality results).
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Note: the paper recommendations below are for flat, un-scored
sheets (i.e. they are not pre-scored for manual folding into the final
folded brochure). Refer to the last step in this article for options
on achieving the final brochure fold.
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for B&W and color Laser Printers: Refer to
our 32 lb. Laser Gloss, specifically made for brochures. It is a
versatile and magazine-like glossy
brochure paper.
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After coated, glossy papers, matte paper is an alternative
available for inkjet printers only...
Matte
Paper, an inkjet alternative:
Matte paper is a less expensive alternative to glossy brochure paper. It
gets your message across with enhanced photo image clarity and more vibrant
colors to a degree far beyond any uncoated bond paper.
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for Inkjet Printers: Refer to matte
paper, a less expensive alternative to glossy brochure paper.
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The final, least expensive options include the variety of uncoated white bond
papers available...
Economical Brochure Paper:
If you have a wholesale or warehouse type of marketing approach, then a less
expensive paper may be appropriate or preferred. An uncoated bright
white bond can more effectively communicate your offering and save you money
on making brochures.
We
recommend a 24 lb. bright white bond with a high brightness rating of 90 or
better. If your brochure layout uses pictures or employs heavy ink
coverage, we recommend the 39 lb. weight to prevent show-through of the ink
from the back side to the next of each sheet.
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for Inkjet Printers: Refer to bright white bond inkjet paper, 24 or 39 lb.
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for B&W and color Laser Printers: Bright white
laser paper, 24 or 39 lb.
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Making Brochures: Completing the
Brochure
Completing the tri-fold or bi-fold is the final step to making your brochure
ready. The most practical options are discussed below.
Folding: If quantities are small, your brochures can be folded
by hand. See also the pre-scored paper option below.
However,
for larger quantities it is an inexpensive step to have your brochures
machine-folded at a local print shop, or some copy shops. This
operation can often be completed within a couple of hours, but expect a
turn-around time of a day or less in most print shops.
Pre-scored paper (ready for folding): Another popular option for inkjet printers
only is HP Tri-Fold Brochure Paper, which is pre-scored for easy
folding. This product is a generalized solution for convenient short-run
brochure printing, but is still a very suitable option for making a good
impression.
For the complete range of paper choices, see the brochure
paper article.
© 2007 Graytex. All rights reserved.
More
info on making brochures: Brochure
Paper, product selection overview
Papers
by Size: Printer Papers
cross-referenced by paper size
More
Articles: Product Guides, FAQs, & References
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