Over the last forty years, we’ve made a lot of brochures here at Pinnacle Press. One of the most common questions we receive is “how do I fold a brochure”? Brochures can be complicated to design if you’ve never created one before, and one of the reasons that they’re so complicated is the many different ways they can be folded. Choosing the fold dictates what types of content should be placed where. That’s why we decided to take some time today and explain some of the most popular ways that a brochure can be folded.
Basic Folds
The “Basic Fold” is considered one of the most popular folds in the printing world. They’re practical and production-friendly. Most popular amongst mailers and marketing brochures, this category includes tri-folds, 4-pagers, and french folds (also known as an 8-page broadside fold). Think of almost every handout you’ve ever gotten at a business expo. These types of folds are great for low-budget projects, flyers, leaflets, and anything that needs to convey product information to a customer. You can also find these types of folds in almost every printer in the industry, including Pinnacle Press.
Accordion Folds
The most common characteristic between all types of accordion folds is the “zig-zag” type of pattern that defines both the fold of the brochure and the content structure of the information. Also commonly referred to as the “Z-fold”, this style can be incredibly simple to execute. Generally, we start with a basin 3-panel accordion with the option to include as many panels as you’d like. At some point, however, it starts to just get way too large and information tends to get lost in the “back-and-forth” nature of how the information is presented to the customer.
Gate Folds
When you picture a gate with two panels that meet in the middle, that’s exactly what a “Gate Fold” is like in the land of brochures. These used to be far less common due to how much of a technical pain it was to achieve this fold using machines. Now, thanks to innovations in printing technology, this unique fold is more widely available to consumers everywhere.
Parallel Folds
Parallel Folds, much like their name eludes, feature panels that stay completely parallel with each other. Generally, the baseline for parallel folding is a 4-panel, but they can rise up to 12 or more panels.
Poster Fold
Poster folds were created to make a large image (like a poster), strategically foldable into a compact size. In order to achieve this, Poster Folds are actually technically the combination of two or more different folds. One of the folding styles serves as the base of the poster fold, while the other ends up providing that “compacting” capability we just discussed. One of the most common combinations to achieve an aesthetically pleasing and functional poster fold is the combination of the basic tri-fold and the accordion fold. Combining these two folds together is one of the most efficient ways to take a large poster down in size by a large degree.