While there is quite a variety of brochures offered by printers—including 9 different fold options—choosing the right type of brochure for your company and marketing goal is a major decision.

Two of the most popular types of brochures are the half-fold brochure and the french fold brochure. These two brochures have different purposes and different folding techniques, but both are very similar in making your marketing campaign a success.

So, let’s take a look at the differences between each including how they are folded, what they are effectively used for, and some tips on designing each so you can choose the best option for your brochure campaign.

What is a Half-Fold?

A half-fold brochure, also known as a bi-fold brochure or single-fold brochure, is a type of brochure where a piece of paper or flyer is folded in half. Typically, this folding technique creates 2 equal panels on the front side and the back side to create a total of 4 panels.

What are Half-Fold Brochures Used for?

Half-fold brochures have many different purposes. They are successfully used as menus, event programs, invitations, service or product listings, real estate pamphlets, promotional advertisements, infographics, and more.

They are often used as handouts or leave-behinds, within a local marketing campaign, or in a direct mail marketing campaign.

There isn’t an industry that can’t benefit from using a half-fold brochure, from the food industry to nonprofit organizations, half-fold brochures are an extremely cost-effective and powerful marketing material to use no matter what industry you are in.

What Paper Should I Choose for a Half-Fold?

The most recommended paper options for half-fold brochures are 100# text weight paper and 80# cover weight paper. This is because these two types of paper offer a high-quality and professional feel while not being too thin and feeling cheap or too thick, which can cause issues when opening and closing the brochure.

Because half-folds are only folded once, other paper options can be used. For example, a 14pt C25 cover paper or a 100# cover if you want to go thicker than an 80# cover. You can also go thinner than a 100# text as well by going with an 80# text paper.

Ask your printer about a free paper sample booklet if you aren’t quite sure what paper option will best deliver your brochure message.

What Size Options Do I Have for Half-Fold Brochures?

Of course, brochures can be printed in a variety of custom sizes, however, the most popular and standard half-fold brochure sizes include:

• 5.5 x 8.5 half-fold brochures (folds into 4.25 x 5.5)
• 8.5 x 11 half-fold brochures (folds into 5.5 x 8.5)
• 9 x 12 half-fold brochures (folds into 6 x 9)
• 8.5 x 14 half-fold brochures (folds into 7 x 8.5)
• 11 x 17 half-fold brochures (folds into 8.5 x 11)
• 11 x 25.5 half-fold brochures (folds into 12.75 x 11)

Designing a Half-Fold Brochure

Make your half-fold brochure stand out by placing text over images and including contrasting colors or spread an image across two panels.

This type of brochure is perfect for quickly enticing your customers or potential ones to take action on what your brochure message has to offer. This means, when designing your half-fold brochure, make sure not to include too many images or text, keep your design clean and minimal to really reel your audience in.

To ensure your brochure is printed perfectly, use a half-fold brochure template, and follow these half-fold brochure printing tips to create a stunning brochure.

What is a French Fold?

A french fold brochure, also known as a cross fold or half-half fold brochure, is a type of brochure where the piece of paper is folded in half one direction, and then folded in half again perpendicularly to the first fold. In other words, it is folded vertically and then horizontally and creates 4 equal panels on each side of the paper with a total of 8 panels.

What are French Fold Brochures Used For?

French fold brochures are great for displaying an array of information and images in a detailed and organized way.

These brochures make for great handouts or leave-behinds. Also, because the material is relatively thick when folded up, they are extremely durable for direct mail campaigns. The great part is, your competitors are most likely not using these “fancy” brochures so when you take advantage of a french fold brochure, your brand stands out.

Because of the extra durability the french fold provides, many use these brochures for maps, or interactive infographics so their audience can easily store or carry their brochure around and open it whenever they need to.

What Paper Should I Choose for a French Fold?

The paper you choose for your french fold or half-half fold brochure needs to be carefully considered. Because this type of brochure is folded twice, with the second fold being created after the first fold. The second fold is as if you are folding two stacked pieces of paper in half. This means, the thicker the paper you choose, the more you run into issues such as your brochure not staying closed when folded.

For half-fold brochures, you can choose a paper thicker than an 80# cover paper however for french folds, it’s recommended that you not go any thicker than this paper option.

On the other hand, you don’t want to choose a paper that is too thin either. A 100# or 80# text paper is the thinnest recommended paper option for french folds. This will ensure your brochures still feel substantial, they aren’t see-through, and they still fold nicely for your audience to open and close with ease.

What Size Options Do I Have for French Folds?

Custom sizes are available for french fold or half-half brochures, however, the most popular and standard sizes for french fold brochures include:

• 8.5 x 11 french brochures (folds into 5.5 x 4.25)
• 8.5 x 14 french fold brochures (folds into 7 x 4.25)
• 11 x 17 french fold brochures (folds into 8.5 x 5.5)
• 11 x 25.5 french fold brochures (folds into 12.75 x 5.5)

Designing a French Fold Brochure

The 8 equal panels allow for your brochure design elements to be distributed in each panel and the folds allow for an interactive experience your audience can easily follow and won’t forget.

Designing a french fold can be tricky and it is important that you use a french fold brochure template or half-half fold brochure template when designing your french fold. The image on the right shows how your design elements should be laid out on each side of your brochure and which order your audience will view each panel.

Don’t be afraid to get creative with your french fold design either. Try spreading an eye-catching image across the inside panels of your design so when your audience fully opens your brochure they are surprised by a beautiful photograph.

Which is Better, a French Fold or Half-Fold Brochure?

Choosing which is better between a french fold or half-fold brochure is dependent of what your marketing message and goal is. Both types of brochures are extremely effective at generating results and each one has its own unique qualities.

If you are planning on displaying many details or are looking to include information and images that tell a story, in a sense, a french fold brochure is a great choice. If you are looking to promote a sale or event or looking to use your brochure as a program or menu, a half-fold brochure provides your audience with a quick and easy-to-follow material.

No matter which type of brochure you choose, a half-fold, french fold, or even one of the other many types of brochures, your marketing campaign is sure to be a success. Make sure you choose a printer that offers high-quality brochures at a great price, like Conquest Graphics, so you can make the most out of your budget while also exceeding your marketing goals. Click below to get started on your brochure campaign today!