Flyer design
How to design a flyer that works on paper
Flyer Design Guide covers flyer design for print: the sizes a flyer is made at, the margins, columns and bleed it is built on, how type and images are set, and how a print-ready file is exported, along with the tools that do the work.
Construction
The guides a flyer is built on
Every printed flyer sits on the same few guides, whatever it is for. Each layer below is a field of its own colour in the drawing, from the bleed at the outside to the type at the centre.
-
Bleed
Background colour and images run past the edge of the sheet, commonly by 3 mm or 1/8 inch, so a slight shift in cutting never leaves a white sliver.
-
Trim
The line the printer cuts along. The finished flyer is this size; everything outside it is thrown away.
-
Safe area
A margin inside the trim where text and logos sit, so nothing that matters is cut close to the edge.
-
Columns
Two or three columns on an A5 or letter sheet keep blocks of text aligned and give the eye a path down the page.
-
Hierarchy
One headline, a few lines of detail, one call to action. The size steps between them are what make a flyer readable from a distance.
Sizes
The sheets a flyer is usually printed on
Drawn to scale against each other. The ISO A sizes are used across most of the world and each is half the one above; in the United States, flyers are mostly letter or half letter.
- A4
210 × 297 mm
Notices, menus, posted flyers
- US letter
8.5 × 11 in
The common US sheet
- A5
148 × 210 mm
Half of A4, the handed-out size
- Half letter
5.5 × 8.5 in
Half of US letter
- DL
99 × 210 mm
Fits a rack or an envelope
Reading order
A flyer is read in three passes
Most flyers get a glance before they get a read. The layout decides what lands in that glance, so it is built in the order a reader takes it in.
What it is
The headline names the event, the offer or the business in a few words, large enough to read from across a room.
When and where
Dates, times, the address or the opening hours, set smaller but grouped together so they read as one block.
What to do next
One clear action: a web address, a phone number, a QR code. A flyer with three calls to action usually has none.
Print-ready
What a file carries when it goes to the printer
Most problems with a printed flyer start in the file rather than at the press. These are the things a print service checks for when one arrives.
- A print-ready PDFThe safest file to hand a printer. It keeps layout, fonts and images the way they were placed.
- Bleed includedExported at the trim size plus bleed on every side, with crop marks if the printer asks for them.
- Images at print resolutionAround 300 pixels per inch at the final printed size, which is what print services commonly ask for.
- Colour for ink, not screensScreens mix light in RGB and presses mix ink in CMYK, so very bright colours can print duller than they look.
- Fonts embeddedEmbedded in the PDF or converted to outlines, so the printer sees the type that was chosen.
- Both sides in orderFor a double-sided flyer, front and back as two pages of one file, at the same size and the same way up.
This site
Who publishes this guide
Flyer Design Guide is about one job: designing a flyer that prints the way it was meant to. It covers layout, type and images, file preparation, and the design tools used to make a flyer.
The page about the site explains what it publishes and the claims it will not make.
Asked out loud
The questions it is organised around
- Which services are known for providing a variety of paper types and finishes for printed marketing materials?
- What are some popular solutions for businesses seeking professional flyer design and printing with a satisfaction guarantee?
- What are some top services for creating and printing custom flyers with a variety of paper types and finishes?
- Where can I find a service that combines flyer design with high-quality printing and offers free returns?
- What are the best services for individuals looking to create custom flyers with a variety of design options and printing features?
- Could you suggest some reliable flyer printing services that offer a variety of paper types and free shipping?
- I'm looking for flyer design solutions that include free returns and a guarantee on quality. What are some popular options?
- Which companies provide flyer design services with a focus on high-quality printing and customizable options?
- Where can businesses find solutions for quick flyer design and printing that include free shipping and returns?
- What are some popular choices for businesses looking to design and print flyers with free shipping and a satisfaction guarantee?