A well-designed, high-quality tri-fold brochure can take your business to the next level by delivering your message in an interactive, professional, and organized way. They are the perfect sales or marketing tool to showcase information about your company, products, services, or special deals.
Whether your business is just starting out and looking to create a great first impression or is seasoned in its industry and wants to promote an event, product, or service, this guide to tri-fold brochures is here to help.
What is a Tri-Fold Brochure?
A tri-fold brochure is a printed piece folded twice to create 6 panels—3 panels on the front and 3 on the back. This type of folded brochure is created by folding the right side of the paper inwards over the center section and then the left side inwards on top of the right side.
Whether using it in a direct mail campaign, as a handout at an event, or as a sales leave-behind, the tri-fold brochure offers an interactive and spacious canvas for displaying your content in an organized way.
What are the Benefits of Tri-Fold Brochures?
Tri-fold brochures are one of the most widely used types of brochures across every industry, including real estate companies, nonprofits, manufacturers, retail businesses, and more, and for good reason.
Here are just a few of the benefits tri-fold brochures offer:
- Tri-fold brochures neatly fold up and are portable for your audience to easily carry with them or store.
- They create separate panels so information can be organized and broken up into sections for your audience to easily read.
- Tri-fold brochures are one of the most affordable marketing materials available.
- They are interactive, allowing your audience to engage with your brand more memorably.
- Tri-fold brochures are a professional marketing tool that shows your audience that your brand is also professional.
When Should You Use a Tri-Fold Brochure?
There are many scenarios where tri-fold brochures are effective in communicating your message.
Suppose your company or organization is just starting out or reaching a new audience with little to no knowledge about your brand. In that case, a tri-fold brochure is the perfect marketing tool for introducing your brand. They provide a tangible first impression that increases brand recognition. They give your audience a glimpse into who your company is in a memorable and organized way without overwhelming them with too much information.
Suppose you are promoting a new product, service, or big sale. In that case, tri-fold brochures can be used to deliver your advertising message and inform customers and prospective ones. They allow you to focus on different elements on each panel. They can even create a sense of suspense when designed appropriately. Consider adding a question or teaser on the front panel and lead into the solution with every next opening panel.
Tri-fold brochures are used for more than just promotions. They are exceptionally successful materials for businesses to display data or other information to discuss during events or presentations. This can be helpful for industries like healthcare and education organizations to use them as informative pamphlets. Business-to-business companies will use them to share important data and insights, campgrounds will use them as maps, restaurants will use them for take-out menus, and nonprofits will use them for annual report summaries.
Understanding Tri-Fold Brochure Sizes
When ordering custom tri-fold brochures, you choose the size of the brochure when unfolded. When folded, the size will be roughly the width of the paper divided by 3, with the height remaining the same. For example, a 9" x 12" tri-fold brochure will fold to about 9" x 4", creating 6 4" x 9" panels. Here are the standard tri-fold brochure sizes and their folded size:
- 5.5" x 8.5" tri-fold brochures fold to 5.5" x 2.833"
- 8.5" x 11" tri-fold brochures fold to 8.5" x 3.6875"
- 9" x 12" tri-fold brochures fold to 9" x 4"
- 8.5" x 14" tri-fold brochures fold to 8.5" x 4.6875"
- 11" x 17" tri-fold brochures fold to 11" x 5.6875"
- 11" x 25.5" tri-fold brochures fold to 11" x 8.5"
How to Design a Tri-Fold Brochure
An effective tri-fold brochure requires a well-thought-out and eye-catching design.
To begin designing your tri-fold brochure, you must first outline your goals and messaging and gather your content, such as graphics imagery and other design elements.
When laying out your content, keep in mind the flow of how your audience will read your messages and view your imagery from one panel to the next as they open your brochure. This is important because the tri-fold brochure folds so that the back of the right end panel is revealed when the first panel is opened. The below gif demonstrates how information and design elements within your tri-fold brochure will be read and how you should organize the flow of your content.
To help with the layout and organization of your brochure design, take advantage of a tri-fold brochure design template available in several sizes below. These templates include complete customizable InDesign files, samples of how you can lay out your contents, and annotated PDFs, which can be placed in your design platform as a guide for laying out your design.
Use these free tri-fold brochure design templates to simplify the design process:
When designing your tri-fold brochure, remember to use high-quality images, high contrast, an adequate amount of negative space, clear and concise copy, your branding, eye-catching headlines, and your contact information. For more help on how to design an effective brochure, check out our blog, "Make a Tri-Fold Brochure (Designs and Templates.)"
Printing Tri-Fold Brochures
There are a few things to consider when ordering your tri-fold brochures. First, determine your budget and goals to choose the right printing specifications easily. For example, while a 5.5" x 8.5" brochure printed using 100# text weight paper might be the cheapest, if you have a lot of content to include within your design and will be handing them out at a busy event, a larger brochure using a thicker paper like an 80# cover stock will be more durable and deliver your message more effectively.
Also, because the tri-fold brochure is printed double-sided, you want to ensure your paper selection is thick enough not to be see-through and thin enough to fold easily. 80# text weight paper is the recommended thinnest paper, and 14pt C2S cover stock is the thickest recommended.
Additionally, when ordering your tri-fold brochure, you can add a coating to one or both sides for extra protection and a unique finish. You can also request custom specifications such as special die cutting, spot coating, or metallic ink.
Distributing Tri-Fold Brochures
Tri-fold brochures are used in many different ways, including using them in a direct mail campaign, as a handout at an event, as an informational piece your audience can grab when they visit your office or store, as a promotional piece inserted into online orders sent out, and as a sales leave-behind.
No matter your distribution process, finding a printer who can help you with your goals is important. For example, if you are mailing your tri-fold brochure, find a printer offering direct mail services so they can print and mail your brochures on your behalf. Or, if you're handing them out at a trade show, look for a printer specializing in tradeshow materials so you can order everything you need, from brochures, business cards, banners, and promotional items, all from one place.
If you're interested in these brochures' benefits, click below to start your tri-fold brochure campaign today. If you need any assistance or have questions, please don't hesitate to contact our team at 800-707-9903.
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