A brochure that looks fine on screen can fall apart in print. The differences are not subtle: thin paper feels disposable, missing bleed leaves white edges where colour should run to the cut, and RGB colours shift unpredictably when a commercial press converts them to CMYK. Getting the print setup right before sending the file is faster than reprinting because something went wrong.

Paper weight

Paper weight is measured in grams per square metre (gsm) in the UK and Europe, and pounds (lb) in the US. The two are not directly interchangeable, but the practical ranges are well-established.

For flyers, 100-130gsm (28-35lb text) gives a substantial feel without becoming card. Below 100gsm reads as office paper and undermines the effort spent on the design. For brochures, 150-200gsm (45-55lb cover) is the working range — lower weights crease badly when folded, higher weights need scoring before folding to avoid cracking.

For premium pieces, 250-300gsm produces weight readers register without being able to name. Home printers struggle with anything above 200gsm.

Bleed and safe zones

Bleed is the area of artwork that extends past the trim line so that when the printer cuts the sheet, no white edge appears. Standard commercial bleed is 3mm on all four sides. The trim line is where the printer cuts; the bleed extends 3mm beyond it.

The safe zone is the inverse: a 3-5mm margin inside the trim line where no critical content sits. Cutting machines have a small tolerance, and text or logos placed too close to the trim risk being clipped. Anything that must stay intact — body text, logos, contact details — sits at least 3mm inside the trim, ideally 5mm.

Diagram of a printed piece showing the 3 mm bleed area outside the cut line and the 3 mm safe zone inside it
The same three-zone rule applies to brochures and flyers as to business cards: 3 mm of bleed outside the cut line, 3 mm of safe zone inside.

For folded brochures, add safe zones at every fold as well. The crease distorts ink slightly and small alignment errors can put text into the fold itself.

Sizes for home vs commercial

Home printing usually means A4 (210x297mm) or US Letter (8.5x11 inch) on a desktop inkjet or laser. These sizes work for tri-fold brochures, half-page flyers, and most small-format work. Home printers cannot bleed — they cannot print to the absolute edge of the paper — so designs intended for home output should keep a 5mm white margin on all sides.

Commercial printers handle A3 (297x420mm), tabloid (11x17 inch), and larger. They print on oversized sheets and trim down, which is what allows bleed. If the brochure will be sent to a commercial printer, build it with bleed from the start. For panel layout on a tri-fold, see how to design a professional tri-fold brochure.

CMYK vs RGB

Screens display colour in RGB; commercial printers use CMYK. The two overlap but are not identical — bright RGB blues and neon greens shift towards muted versions when converted.

For commercial print, design in CMYK from the start in software that supports it (InDesign, Illustrator, Affinity Publisher), or convert the file before exporting the PDF. Word and Google Docs work in RGB only, so designs from those tools will be converted by the printer — review a colour proof before printing the full run. For home printing, RGB is fine.

Final checks

Before sending a file to print or hitting print at home, run through this checklist. Margins consistent on every panel. Fold lines visible only as guides, not printed lines. Body text inside the safe zone on every panel. Images at 300dpi minimum at the size they will print. PDF exported with fonts embedded and bleed included where applicable.

For Word’s built-in flyer templates as a starting point, see free printable flyer templates for Word.