When Designing folded brochures, it is important to understand what type of brochure you are designing for and then based on the type, understanding the measurements associated with it. Often folded brochure files lack the necessary setup to get a great product!
There are MANY different types of folds, and each of them has there challenges, but the 2 most common fold types are:
Letter folded – A brochure that folds in on itself, also referred to as Standard fold and Envelope fold
Z-folded – A brochure that folds like an accordion, also referred to as Accordion fold
Standard bleeds are needed (0.125″ on all sides for a total of 0.25″) and when setting up your file it is best to place guidelines where the folds will be. These lines will be very different based on the brochure type you choose.
*Templates are available on the product page for most items
* Note the smaller left hand panel on letter folded brochures. This is needed to make sure it fits inside the brochure without getting wrinkled or bent. The tricky part is on the inside of the document the smaller panel will be on the right, so your 2 pages in your file need to be opposite of each other in term of panel sizes.
*The panels on a Z-fold (accordion) are all equal
When doing your design try to stay away from any colour change or edge of photos on your fold lines. All printing and folding equipment have a certain margin of error (102mm) So if 2 photos are lined up at a fold line, once folded a small amount of the image from the adjacent panel may be visible. This doesn’t end up being a very nice product, try and design around these issues.