Trifold brochure template: exact panel sizes and setup

Why the panels are not equal

In a standard trifold, also called a letter fold or roll fold, one end panel folds in first and the other folds over it like a cover. The panel that tucks inside has to be slightly narrower, or it pushes against the crease and the brochure will not lie flat. Paper also has thickness, so each fold consumes a sliver of width.

The common convention is to make the tuck in panel 1/16 in narrower than the other two. On a letter sheet that gives 3.6875 + 3.6875 + 3.625 = 11 in. Templates that divide 11 in into three equal panels of 3.667 in look fine on screen and then bulge at the fold in print.

Make a paper dummy first

Before you open a template, fold a sheet of the flat size into the finished shape. Write Front on the closed cover, open it naturally and number the panels in reading order, then turn it over and mark the outside back. Transfer that sequence onto the printer's template, whose panel widths may differ from your rough fold. The dummy checks the reading order; the template sets the production geometry.

Panel map: what goes where

The hardest part of a trifold is that the panel order on the flat file does not match the order in which people read it. Here is the map for a standard roll fold, measured from the left trim edge.

The outside left panel is the back of the tuck in panel, so both are narrow. The reader sees the front cover first, opens it to see the inside flap, then opens fully to the three inside panels, and finally turns it over to the back cover.

Before designing, fold a blank sheet this way and label each panel in pencil. Five seconds with a physical sheet will save you from putting your contact details on the wrong side.

Exact guide positions

If you build the template yourself, set these vertical guides. Measurements are from the left edge of the trim, then from the left edge of the full bleed document, which is 0.125 in larger on each side.

The fold positions on the two sides mirror each other, which is why they differ. When the sheet is flipped, the narrow panel moves from the left to the right. Add a safe margin of at least 0.125 in either side of each fold, or 0.1875 in for a more comfortable gutter, and 0.125 in inside every trim edge.

Other sheet sizes

The same logic applies to larger sheets. Keep the tuck in panel 1/16 in narrower and everything else follows.

A legal size trifold gives you almost an extra inch per panel, which helps with menus and price lists. A tabloid trifold creates a tall, magazine like piece that stands out on a counter but will not fit a standard brochure rack.

If you want equal panels, choose a Z fold instead. It folds like an accordion with no panel tucked inside, so all three panels are 3.667 in on a letter sheet.

Planning content panel by panel

A good template also suggests what belongs on each panel. Use this as a starting plan, then adjust for your business.

• Front cover: logo, a benefit headline and one strong image. No paragraphs.
• Inside flap: the first thing seen after opening. Use it for a short promise, a key statistic you can source, or a testimonial.
• Inside left: the problem your customer has, or a short introduction to you.
• Inside middle: your main service, product or process, often with a photo.
• Tuck in panel: supporting services, pricing, or a sign up section.
• Back cover: contact details, map, hours, QR code and social handles. Keep it uncluttered, since it is often seen in the rack from behind.

The three inside panels can also be treated as one wide spread, with an image or timeline that runs across all three. If you do this, avoid placing faces or text directly on a fold, and remember that the tuck in panel is narrower, so the image will not be perfectly symmetrical.

Building the template in common tools

In professional layout software, create an 11 × 8.5 in document with two pages, set 0.125 in bleed on all sides, and drag guides to the positions above. Save it as a template so every future brochure starts from the same grid.

In a word processor, set the page to landscape, margins to 0.25 in, and use three columns with a column gap that straddles each fold. Word processors cannot handle bleed, so keep backgrounds white or ask your printer for a trimmed file approach. In browser editors, pick a trifold preset rather than a blank page.

The simplest route is to start from a ready made design in Voqado templates or open a blank trifold canvas in the Voqado Studio, where fold, bleed and safe lines are already set. To double check a file built elsewhere, run it through the PDF health check.

Mistakes that ruin trifolds

Most trifold problems come from a handful of repeat errors. Check for each one before exporting.

• Equal panels on a roll fold, causing bulging or a crooked fold.
• The front cover placed on the left of the outside page.
• Text or a thin border running too close to a fold, which shifts slightly in production.
• Solid dark color across a fold on unscored cover stock, which cracks.
• Inside and outside saved as separate PDFs in the wrong order.
• Missing bleed, which leaves white slivers at the edges.

Folding machines are precise, but a small tolerance is normal, so design with a little breathing room at every crease. For fold types beyond the trifold, start with the paper dummy described above.

Get the free print size cheat sheets

The free print size cheat sheets put trim, bleed and safe area for brochures, flyers, postcards and more on printable pages, so you can check your template against the numbers without searching.

Trifold template checklist

• Document at 11.25 × 8.75 in including 0.125 in bleed.
• Tuck in panel 1/16 in narrower than the other two.
• Outside folds at 3.625 in and 7.3125 in from trim.
• Inside folds at 3.6875 in and 7.375 in from trim.
• Front cover on the outside right panel.
• Text at least 0.125 in from every fold and edge.
• Outside as page 1, inside as page 2 in the PDF.