by Anna Cruz

Created on: February 18, 2009

You can make a brochure in Microsoft Word in two easy ways: by downloading a template or by creating one free-style in Word. Either choice can get you superb results, no matter if your brochure is for a product, service or just to introduce your new company to the world.

Brochures are a handy marketing tool that can be used in direct mail campaigns and at trade shows. They're also handy to have in your office or store for customers that want more information on a product in a portable form.

Brochure printing is popular because customers can browse your brochures at their leisure and contact you with questions or to place an order. Follow these simple directions to create a brochure in Microsoft Word.

Download a Brochure
1. To download a brochure template for Word, go to Microsoft Office Online. This link will take you to a list of brochure templates. You can also go to the Microsoft Office Online homepage and search for brochure templates.

2. Choose the template design you like best and that best represents your company or message and click on the template.

3. Click download after reading more about the brochure.

4. The template will automatically open in Word after downloading. Replace the text in the template with your own text. Just click in the text box and highlight the text and press Delete. Then type in your own text.

5. Replace the template pictures with your own. Click in the picture box and either press Delete or right-click to insert a new picture. You can move the pictures around if you want to tweak the layout.

Create A Brochure from Scratch in Word
1. Decide on what kind of layout you want. Do you want a tri-fold or bi-fold brochure? A tri-fold has two folds, resulting in three panels on one side and three panels on the other side. A bi-fold has one fold, with two panels on one side and two panels on the other side. Pick the layout that best suits the content you have for your brochure.

2. Go to FilePage Setup to set your margins. Good brochure design has margins of at least 1/8-inch. Go 1/4-inch for a cleaner look.

3. While in Page Setup, set your paper orientation to Landscape. Both bi-folds and tri-folds are folded from standard page dimensions, as you can see in the illustrations above.

4. Next, set up the number of columns you need (still in Page Setup). If you want a tri-fold layout, choose 3 columns. If you want a bi-fold layout, choose 2 columns. You can specify the width and spacing of the columns if needed, but the default spacing should be fine.

5. Now you need to add breaks between the columns and pages. Go to InsertBreak. Choose column break. Your cursor should now be at the top of the next column. Repeat for a third column, if applicable. Now insert a Page Break for the back of your brochure. Go to InsertBreak. Choose Page Break. Then insert column breaks like you did for the first side.

6. Now you can add text and graphics to each column. Be sure that you input text so that when the brochure is folded the front panel text is where the front panel will be when folded. Insert pictures in whatever columns you want by clicking in the column and clicking InsertPicture. Navigate to your chosen picture on your computer and click OK.

7. Save your brochure once you're satisfied with the design.

8. Print a test copy. Depending on your printer, you might have to print one page and then manually take the paper out of the printer tray, flip it around and insert it back into the printer for the back page to print.

9. If you're printed copy looks good, either send your file to a printing company or print out multiple copies on your printer.

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