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READER QUESTION:
When you're constructing a folding brochure, how do you determine where the folds should lie? I have taken a few approaches to doing this, from trying to determine quarter and eighths of an inch allowance on-screen to printing out a mockup and measuring folds from there. There must be a better way... I just can't find it.
I've asked many designers about this, and am surprised that nobody has the answer - everyone has said that they have the printer do this for them. — Thanks, Amy
Amy poses a great question. It's important to set up your documents so that they are accurate when they are released to the printer. You don't want your printer to have to guess at what you want, nor do you necessarily want your printer modifying your client-approved artwork.
When you have a design with panels that fold inward, the inward-folding panel must be smaller than the outer panels. This ensures that, during the folding process, the inside panel does not get mangled where the folds meet.
There's no steadfast rule for the exact amount of the offset in size between the panels. 1/16" to 1/8" is common for a typical tri-fold brochure. As the weight of your paper stock increases, so should your offset in size. While 1/16" may be just fine for a typical text sheet, it's safer to use the 1/8" guideline (or possibly even more, depending on the input from your printer) for a heavy cover stock.
Panel sizes for the tri-fold brochure
 To examine how to determine panel sizes for designed pieces that include inward folds, I'll start by looking at a basic tri-fold brochure (Figure 1). Though it's one of my least favorite formats, many U.S. clients still request the 8.5" x 11" tri-fold brochure because it is often the most cost-effective format for a low-budget project. By "panel," I am referring to each page-within-a-page; in other words, each area between folds and outer edges is a panel. The tri-fold brochure has three panels on each side of the sheet of paper.
The inward-folding panel should be 1/16" to 1/8" smaller than the outside panels to accommodate the folding process. Those numbers are general guidelines; I always recommend speaking with your printer to get the exact specifications that may be required. 1/16" may be too tight for some printers. (My apologies to those of you who use the much-more-efficient metric system; I'll be using inches to work through this problem.)
The hard part, of course, is determining all those exact panel sizes. To be on the safe side, let's say we decide to go with a panel that is 1/8" shorter than the rest. Using a 1/8" gap gives the printer a little more room to maneuver when that sheet zips through the folding machinery.
What size should each panel be, when the final flat size is already determined to be 11" wide?
This is where we designers start to cringe... oh no, math! We just can't escape it, even in design! Since I'll stereotype all of us and say we don't do math, I'll walk through the steps slowly.
Figuring the math
If we were to do a tri-fold brochure with an accordion fold, which would have no inward-folding panels, all three panels would be the same size. We would simply divide our 11" width by the 3 needed panels, and easily find that each panel needs to be 3.6667" wide. (I'll work with four decimal places for this exercise.)
But since our tri-fold brochure has an inward panel, we can't make each panel the same 3.6667" wide. Two panels need to be larger than that, and one panel need to be smaller.
If you determine that you want a 1/8" (.1250") gap between the outside panel and the inward-folding panel, where they meet at the fold, the outer panels will be exactly 1/8" larger than the inside panel.
So let's take the number we came up with if the panels were of equal size, 3.667". Although we have six panels, we will only have two different panel sizes, an inward-folding panel size, and an outer panel size. Theoretically, if we subtract 1/16" (.0625") — half of the 1/8" gap we need — from the small panel, and add 1/16" (.0625") — the remaining half of the 1/8" gap we need — to the outer panel size, we'll have our 1/8" gap.
Let's do the math. 3.6667" - .0625" = 3.6042". This is the size for our small panel. 3.6667" + .0625" = 3.7295". This is the size for our large panels. Let's double-check our math, now, to see if we actually have a 1/8" gap with those numbers. 3.7295" - 3.6042" = .1253". We did it! Except for that pesky rounding issue that throws our gap size off by .0003", we've solved the problem. And we can disregard that 3/1000" difference. It's likely that the folding machine used to finish your brochure won't notice that 3/1000", so we're in good shape!
(Has anyone decided, by this point, that using the pica or metric measuring system makes this easier than working in inches? If so, and if you're comfortable with those systems, it makes life much easier than dealing in inches.)
 Setting up your file
Once you've determined the size of each panel on your tri-fold brochure, it's time to set up your document file for your tri-fold brochure.
Prior to setting up your document, make a mockup of your folded brochure. Fold a plain sheet of paper the same way that your final piece will be folded. Label each panel with a name that makes sense to you, and note whether the panel is a long or short one (Figure 2).
When you're ready to create the new document file, unfold your mockup to see where each panel lays on the actual page (Figure 3).
 When your mockup is unfolded, the most important thing to notice is that the short panel lays in a different position on each side of the page.
To set up your document file, create your document page size to 11" wide x 8.5" high. Then drag guides into your document area to indicate your folds.
For the first page of your document, which contains the front cover, back cover, and inside flap, place a guide for the first fold 3.6042" from the left trim, and a guide for the second fold 7.3337" (3.6042 + 3.7295) from the left trim.
For the second page, which contains the inside panels, place a guide 3.7295" from the left trim, and a guide for the second fold 7.4590" (3.7295 + 3.7295) from the left trim.
Now, simply begin laying out your art. Be sure you place the artwork elements within their appropriate panel area. Remember that when the inside flap is folded inward, your viewer will see the inside panel 1 and the inside flap as a spread. Don't run text from inside panel 1 over onto inside panel 2 that will appear chopped off when the viewer opens the brochure.
Designating the folds
When you release your artwork to your printer, you will need to specify where the document folds. Create a mockup of the brochure for the printer, folded as necessary, for his reference.
Additionally, you should indicate the folds in your file. There are two commonly used methods for indicating the folds in your document.
 In the days of paste-up and boards, graphic artists would start with a blank white board. We would use a non-repro blue pen to draw lines on our board to indicate trims and folds. Then, outside the actual page area, we would use black ink to draw solid crop marks outside the trim area to indicate the page trim. To indicate folds, we would draw dashed lines, and write the word "fold" alongside the dashed lines (Figure 4).
The same method may be used within your electronic files. Simply create a thin dotted line (.5 point or smaller) and place it on your guides, outside your document trim area. Then create text that explains what the line indicates.
 An alternate method for indicating folds in your electronic documents is through the use of color. Choose a color that contrasts with the elements in your file. Typically, cyan, magenta, or yellow are good choices. However, DO NOT use the default CMY colors in your layout application.
Instead, create a new color. Name the color something like "FOLD LINES - DO NOT PRINT" (Figure 5). Define this new color as a spot color. Using this color, draw lines in your document area where your folds will be placed.
By defining this color as a spot color, and using it only where you have folds or other notes, the printer is able to suppress these reference elements from printing. If the printer fails to suppress these elements, the color will print on its own piece of film or plate entitled "FOLD LINES - DO NOT PRINT", and will not appear accidentally on another printing plate.
In conclusion
Don't assume that your printer knows what you're thinking. Always be specific with your measurements so you don't get unexpected — and likely unpleasant — results after a project is printed. Mark up hard copies that you submit to your printer along with your job. Even though your file indicates a fold, it doesn't do any harm to write it out in ink on a printout or mockup. In fact, it's ideal; an indication in a file is more likely to be overlooked that bold handwritten notes.
Ensure that your printer knows exactly where to fold your job, and design accordingly. It is the designer's responsibility to supply the printer with final, printable artwork. Likewise, it is the printer's responsibility to print exactly what the designer has supplied.
Don't hesitate to speak with your printer before releasing your project if you have any questions on how to set the artwork up, no matter how trivial your question may seem. Your printer should be happy to speak with you regarding your set-up questions, to ensure that you both end up with a satisfactory final product.
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