Deciding the most suitable paper size and the design orientation for your flyer really comes down to what you plan to use it for. Are you planning to send flyers inside packaging with your online sales, or do you want to print some flyers for an upcoming trade show? What ever your purpose, it is always best to determine the demographics of your audience and understand the most versatile size and thickness that is perfect to attract the attention of your potential customer.

GSM (grams per square meter) refers to the weight of the paper and is generally used as an approximate indicator for the thickness of paper. This means higher the gsm the thicker the paper. Be aware, that many factors such as moisture and bulkiness of pulp can influence weight between paper manufacturers. Therefore paper thickness may vary between manufacturers compared to others of a similar gsm. As a guide, a standard photocopy laser paper is usually 80gsm and most standard flyers in Australia are printed on 150gsm Gloss Art paper.

This refers to the final coating of the paper at end of manufacture. Standard laser papers are uncoated making them more pores and cheaper when compared to a coated paper. Unknown to the buyer, most budget flyers offered these days are printed on this stock. Quality printed flyers are always printed on coated paper to achieve superior print results. Coated paper is available in various sheens from commonly used “gloss” to the dull “matt” also called by the terms “satin” or “silk”. Gloss coated paper is commonly held in stock and popularly used for flyers, brochures and publications such as annual reports or magazines.

It is always recommended that your flyer be designed to a standard size such as A4, A5, A6, A7, DL or Double DL to minimize paper wastage and maximize paper yield. A custom trim size flyer results in an off-cut waste that will automatically be allocated to the cost of your job. We therefore prefer to minimise your cost by maintain our flyers to standard paper sizes, while also accommodating any custom trim size for an additional fee.

Deciding the most suitable board size and the design orientation for your card really comes down to what you plan to use it for and your personal preference for thickness. Are you planning to send gift card inside packaging with your online sales, or do you want to print some door hangers for a door to door promotion? What ever your purpose, it is always best to determine the demographics of your audience and understand the most versatile size and thickness that is perfect to attract the attention of your potential customer. Board weights range from 200gsm to 400gsm where they are often called by the term “system boards”

GSM (grams per square meter) refers to the weight of the board and is generally used as an approximate indicator for the thickness of board. This means higher the gsm the thicker the board. Be aware, that many factors such as moisture, bulkiness of pulp can influence weight and stiffness between board manufacturers. Therefore board thickness may vary between manufacturers compared to others of a similar gsm. As a guide, a commonly used business card board stock will be 300gsm, where a flyer that needs to be a little stiffer than paper is best printed on 200gsm Art board. This is the point of thickness change when moving from paper to board. Promotional flyers with a cello-glaze must be printed on either 200gsm or 250gsm board stock, to maintain stability of surface during the process of cello-glaze.

Commonly used Art board for printing of business cards, postcards and loyalty cards is an uncoated stock that has a natural matt (Satin) feel. Cello glazing is a process where a Gloss or Matt film coating is heat bonded to this uncoated natural Art board surface. Cello-glaze has a smooth and luxurious feel and also enhances the visual impact of your design while increasing the durability of your card flyer. Upgrade your flyer from paper to board stock if you need cello-glazing on your flyer. If in case you need a writable surface with cello-glaze, a Matt cello-glaze coating is the option to select. In contrast a gloss coating will give you a reflective sheen to the surface of your card.

It is always recommended that your card be designed to a standard size such as A4, A5, A6, A7, DL to minimize board wastage and maximize its yield. A custom trim size results in an off-cut waste that will automatically be allocated to the cost of your job. We therefore prefer to minimise your cost by maintain our cards to standard board sizes, while also accommodating any custom card trim size for an additional fee.

There are many ways a printed sheet of paper can be folded. Below is a list of the most common ways in which brochures, leaflets or pamphlets that are printed on a single sheet of paper can be folded. Once folded, each side or section of the printed piece is called a panel. The names of the folding methods are not standard, but we have explained the most common methods of folds used by us.

The DL half fold is typically used for product brochures, invitations, greeting cards and other promotional material that needs to be fitted into a DL envelope. For high GSM paper stock and board stocks a score is applied to give the finished product a smooth and neat folded edge. A double DL folded to DL is an ideal fold method to insert brochures for direct marketing purposes.

Are you in the need for a brochure design with large images that flow across panels, and for presenting step-by-step information in each panel when stretched open? This is a popular folding style used for brochures, information handouts that are better visually displayed when designed across all panels. This folding method creates a ziz-zag ‘z’ shape. We also recommend this style for folding multi-page brochures. The down side to this fold is that it springs open after being folded and it is not suitable for the purpose of direct mailing.

The A4 half fold is typically used for product information brochures, newsletters, corporate notices or any other informative material that needs to be of A4 size when folded. For high GSM paper stock and board stocks a score is applied to give the finished product a smooth and neat folded edge. Though the A3 folded to A4 is commonly used as a brochure to be circulated within a smaller audience, the A4 folded to A5 is an ideal brochure that can be compact in size, but reach a wider audience in a direct marketing campaign.

A common letter fold also known as roll fold is to fold a sheet into thirds so that it fits into a standard-size envelope typically used for direct marketing purpose. The designer must factor the folding points of each panel in order to hide the contents on fold but position the address to be visible through the envelopes address window. We recommend this folding style for pre printed letters that are to be inserted via automated envelope inserters.

Roll folds require 3+ panels to roll in on the other. To establish a neat roll fold the designer must judge a fold allowance based on the paper thickness that is caught within each fold. This method requires each panel to be slightly smaller than the other. The fold allowance for each panel is based on a tolerance of +/-3mm. A4 roll folded to DL brochures are commonly used for restaurant menus and product literature where you need the information to be spontaneously rolled out on each unfold by the reader. It is recommended that higher GSM paper stock and all board stock be scored for a smooth and neat fold edge.

This method requires a page to be first folded in half horizontally and then again vertically creating a four-page brochure that when opened out reveals a full-page spread. The brochure will still benefit from the extra strength of the double fold. This fold is commonly used for cards that are typically printed on one side of the open sheet and folded. They are also used for large format maps and travel Information pamphlets. The designer needs to give it some thought when designing each panels orientation, and the front and back cover panels.

This folding method creates a stylish way of displaying large images across multiple panels when the flaps are opened. Having a minimum of 2 panels that fold into the centre from opposite directions and designed with a enticing cover, can encourage a reader to choose your brochure just to see what’s inside. This brochure is an ideal accompaniment for a product launch such as the advertising of a new motor vehicle. This is a complex folding style that requires some amount of technical knowledge and equipment. Lining up images over the flaps can get misaligned on folding and it is best avoided.

This is similar to the ‘z’ fold, but for jobs that require 4+ more panels. Alternating the fold directions create a fan or accordion-like effect that stretches open the brochure giving the reader a full spread of the layout. The end result is an easy opening piece of information. Typically it is folded in a way that the front cover panel is the widest. Similar to the “Z” style the accordion fold springs open after being folded and it is not recommended for the purpose of direct mailing.