Folded Brochure Sizes Explained: 4pp, 6pp, 8pp and 12pp

A folded brochure has two sizes. The flat size is the sheet that goes through the press. The finished size is what the customer holds after folding.

Most brochure reprints start with those two being confused. "An A4 brochure" can be an A3 sheet folded once, an A4 sheet folded twice, or a 630 mm sheet folded to A4, and each is a different job at a different price.

This page gives the flat and finished size of every standard fold, what the page counts mean, and how to set the artwork up so it closes flat.

What pp means

pp means printed pages. Printers count pages, not panels, and every panel has two sides. A sheet folded once has two panels and four pages, so it is a 4pp brochure.

• One fold, two panels: 4pp
• Two folds, three panels: 6pp
• Three folds, four panels: 8pp
• A cross fold, six panels: 12pp

Flat size and finished size for every standard fold

All sizes in millimetres, flat sheet first. DL is 99 x 210 mm and A5 is 148 x 210 mm whichever way the sheet is turned.

Read the table from the right. Decide the finished size the customer wants, then the page count, and the flat size follows. A six page A4 brochure does not start as an A4 sheet.

Every product above prints on 150 gsm as standard. Printing one for a client? Each link goes to the trade specification for that fold.

A4 folded to DL

The fold most people mean when they say brochure. An A4 sheet, 297 x 210 mm flat, folded twice into three panels, 99 x 210 mm finished, six printed pages.

It fits a DL envelope, a brochure rack and a letterbox, which is why it carries most direct mail. Order it as a roll fold or a Z fold; the flat size is the same, the artwork is not. A4 folded to DL, trade specification.

A3 folded to A4

An A3 sheet, 420 x 297 mm flat, folded once down the middle, 210 x 297 mm finished, four printed pages. The standard menu, programme and product overview format. A3 folded to A4, trade specification.

Fold that same A3 sheet in half and then into thirds and it becomes the 12 page DL brochure, the price list format.

A4 folded to A5

An A4 sheet, 210 x 297 mm flat, folded once across the long edge, 148 x 210 mm finished, four printed pages. Not a stock line, so ask for a quote and state both sizes.

Fold types

• Half fold. One fold down the centre. Two equal panels.
• Roll fold. The panels fold inward, one inside the other. Often called a tri fold.
• Z fold, also concertina or accordion. The panels fold in alternating directions and lie flat as a zigzag.
• Gate fold. The two outer panels fold in to meet at the centre.
• Double parallel fold. Folded in half, then in half again the same way. Four panels.
• Cross fold. Folded in half one way, then folded again across the first fold.

Setting up artwork for a folded job

Build the document at the flat size, with the folds marked as guides. A 6pp DL is one page at 297 x 210 mm with two fold guides, not three DL pages.

• Panel widths. Equal for a Z fold. For a roll fold, the tucked panel is narrower and the guides move with it.
• Keep type off the fold. Text and logos stay at least 5 mm clear of every fold line and 5 mm inside the trim.
• Bleed on all four outer edges. 3 mm minimum. Nothing bleeds at a fold, because nothing is cut there.
• Supply it as printer spreads. Two flat pages in one PDF, outside then inside, in the orientation the piece reads.
• Number the panels in a proof. Front cover, back cover and the panel that folds in first are the three most often swapped.

Colour, bleed, crop marks, resolution and the full pre flight list are on how to supply print ready artwork. Dimensions for every flat sheet are on the paper sizes guide.

Common questions