Watch the setup walkthrough
A short walkthrough of how to set up a folded brochure, with panels sized for the fold. Then grab the correctly-sized example below.
Quick file checklist
Tap each item as you confirm it before uploading.
00 / 08 doneWhat makes a press-ready brochure file
Folds and panels
A brochure is a flat sheet folded into panels: tri-fold, z-fold, half-fold, gate-fold and more. Each fold style sizes its panels differently, so start from the template that matches your fold.
Why folded-in panels are narrower
Panels that fold inward are made slightly narrower so they tuck without buckling. The template handles this for you, so keep your content inside the panel guides.
Build flat, mark the folds
Design at the full flat size and keep fold lines as guides on a separate layer. Avoid placing important text right on a crease where it can crack or misread.
Bleed, trim and safe zone
Extend full-bleed art 1/8 inch past the trim, and keep text and logos 1/8 inch inside the trim and clear of the folds.
Color and resolution
Build in CMYK, place images at 300 dpi at final size, embed or outline fonts, and export the outside and inside as a single press-ready PDF.
Templates and how to use them
Download the template
- Open the price calculator and choose your size and options.
- Download the template that matches your specs, or resize the closest one to fit.
- Open it in Adobe InDesign or Illustrator, or in Canva.
Add your artwork
- Start from the template that matches your fold style and panel widths.
- Design at the full flat size and keep fold lines on a non-printing layer.
- Run full-bleed art 1/8 inch past the trim and keep text off the creases.
- Remove guides and export the outside and inside as one press-ready PDF.
Your questions, answered
It depends on your content and how it should reveal. Tri-fold and z-fold suit step-by-step content, half-fold suits a simple two-panel layout, and gate-folds make a dramatic reveal. Each has its own template.
Panels that fold inward are slightly narrower so they tuck cleanly inside the others. Use the template widths rather than equal panels.
No, keep fold lines as non-printing guides unless a printed line is part of your design. We fold to the template positions.
Build it as one flat sheet at full size, with the outside and inside as two pages in a single PDF.
Keep important text and logos off the crease. A fold can crack ink and make type hard to read, so give it a little room.