How to Make a Folded Leaflet Without Page-Order Mistakes

Choose a fold that suits the information

A single fold provides four faces and can suit a short service introduction or programme. A multi-panel fold provides a different reading sequence and may suit grouped services or a compact visitor guide. Choose the structure because it helps the reader, not because a template happens to contain more panels.

Count the information you need: cover, main explanation, grouped details and contact action. If the wording only fits after making it uncomfortably small, reduce or reorganise it. More panels do not automatically make a leaflet easier to understand.

Plan with a folded dummy

Do not rely on the left-to-right order of panels in a template preview. The outside artwork often has a reading arrangement that only makes sense when folded. Keep the dummy next to you while designing and label the corresponding pages in your project notes.

1. Fold blank paper Use the intended sheet size and fold style.
2. Label the closed leaflet Mark the front cover, back and top edge.
3. Open it as a reader would Number the panels in the order in which they should be understood.
4. Unfold both sides Record the panel positions on the flat outside and inside.
5. Use the map Place each part of the content according to that physical plan.

Confirm sheet size and panel allowances

A4 is 210 × 297 mm. A simple half fold along the appropriate centre line creates A5-sized faces, but other fold styles may need unequal panel widths. A panel tucked inside can require a different allowance depending on the stock and fold. Follow the print supplier’s specification when available.

Decide whether your working pages represent whole sheet sides or individual panels. Do not switch between those approaches partway through without checking every object. If your workflow requires specialist imposition or finishing that the application does not provide, resolve the output route before building the final artwork.

Give each panel a useful job

The cover should identify the subject and give a reason to open the leaflet. The first visible inside material should answer the next natural question. Place related services, prices or instructions together. Use the back for a clear contact or next-step route where that suits the fold.

Avoid referring to “the next page” until you have checked the assembled reading sequence. A reader may open a multi-panel leaflet in stages. Headings should make each section understandable without requiring the reader to unfold everything at once.

Create the layout in RemPress

Choose suitable page dimensions and use guides or measured positions to mark the intended folds. Add separate text and image objects for the panel content. Keep headlines, faces and essential details away from fold lines unless their placement is a deliberate tested design choice.

Use consistent text styles and spacing across panels. If you start from a template, check its dimensions and fold assumption before replacing the words. Save your own .rempress copy so the original remains available. Do not assume that a template’s panel order matches every duplex setup.

Browse RemPress templates

Set up a first document

Edit text boxes

Distinguish margins, bleed and printer limits

A safe margin keeps important content away from trim or fold boundaries. Bleed extends artwork beyond a final trim edge for a finishing process that requires it. A printer’s non-printable area is a hardware or driver constraint. These are different things and one setting does not solve all three.

Ask the print supplier for required bleed and output specifications. For a home or office printer, allow for printable boundaries and test the chosen paper. Do not move important text right to a fold just because it appears within the digital page.

Print, fold and read the proof

For manual duplex, use a marked test sheet to establish reinsertion direction. Once a proof works, keep the same printer settings for the approved run. If you change stock, size or printer, make another proof because the physical behaviour may differ.

• The intended cover is on the outside
• Inside content appears in the right sequence
• Both sides have the correct top edge
• Folds do not hide essential text
• No panel is accidentally blank or duplicated
• Images and text remain readable after folding
• Paper, scaling and duplex settings are recorded
• The final editable project is saved

Check printer and scaling settings

Keep a reusable master

Store the accepted project with a photo or PDF reference of the assembled leaflet and the fold notes. Use Save As when adapting it for a different business or event. Recheck panel order whenever you add or remove content rather than assuming last month’s proof covers the revised publication.

If you are migrating an existing Publisher brochure, first establish how its pages were stored and printed. The separate migration guide addresses that source-format problem.

Migrate Publisher booklets and folded documents