Custom Printed Brochures.

Because each panel folds inside the one before it, and equal panels will not close. On a roll fold we step every inner panel down by a couple of millimetres so the piece shuts flat without buckling. We calculate the panel widths for you before artwork is laid out, since a file built on equal panels has to be rebuilt once it hits the folder.

Anything above roughly 170gsm gets creased first, or the fibres crack along the fold and show white through the ink. Creasing is a mechanical compression along the fold line that gives the sheet somewhere to bend. Coated stocks are the worst for cracking, and a dark solid across a fold shows it most. At 150 to 170gsm silk the sheet folds cleanly without it.

A gate fold parts from the centre with two flaps opening outward, while a tri-fold reads as cover, reveal, then the full spread. The gate is a single moment of opening, which suits one strong image inside. A tri-fold is a three-beat structure and a z-fold is a concertina where every panel can be used on both sides. We plan the artwork panel by panel in the order it is revealed.

Matt lamination for most jobs, because it stops finger marks on a piece that is handled repeatedly. Gloss lamination gives saturated colour and suits photographic or product-led work. Leaving it uncoated reads editorial and is the most recyclable route. Spot UV over matt on the cover panel and soft-touch for premium corporate pieces are the two upgrades we quote most.

An A4 sheet tri-folds to 8.27 × 3.9 inches and a US Letter sheet to 8.5 × 3.67 inches. We quote both the flat size and the folded size, since one governs the press sheet and the other governs the envelope or rack it has to fit. Give us the folded size you need and we will work the flat size back from it.

500 pieces is the starting quantity. Digital print made runs at that level economical, so a regional sales team can have its own version rather than sharing one national piece. Above 1,000 the unit cost drops again, and long litho runs go up to 100,000 copies.

Standard turnaround is 7 to 10 business days after you approve the proof. If a trade show is closer than that, a rush run comes through in 5 to 7 business days. A folded sample of your exact stock and fold takes 5 to 7 business days, and we recommend one on any heavy or coated stock so you can check the folds before committing. We knock the sample charge off the production invoice.

Yes, an unlaminated brochure on uncoated or silk stock goes straight into paper recycling. Lamination adds a plastic film that complicates that, so if recyclability matters we would suggest uncoated stock and no lamination, accepting a little more handling wear. Recycled paper with visible fibre is available where the message inside is about sustainability.