What is the difference between flat size and folded size?

Flat size is the sheet before we fold it, and that is the size you design at. Folded size is what lands on the desk. A4 flat with a half fold gives you a 4pp A5. A4 flat with a C or Z fold gives you a 6pp DL. A 444 x 210mm flat sheet gives you a 6pp A5. The two are locked together, so pick a flat size and the folded options follow from it. Always set your artwork up at the flat size, never the folded one.

What does 4pp and 6pp mean?

pp means printed pages, and it counts every printed side rather than every sheet. One sheet has two sides, so one sheet is 2pp. A 4pp leaflet has one fold and four panels to design: front, inside left, inside right and back. A 6pp leaflet has two folds and six panels, three on each side of the sheet. It is still one sheet of paper in both cases, which is what keeps a folded leaflet cheaper than a stitched booklet. If you need more than six panels you need a booklet, which starts at 8pp.

Which fold should I choose?

There are three folds. A half fold has one fold and four panels, and suits programmes, short menus, price cards and order of service. A C-fold has two folds with the panels tucking inside each other, opening like a small cupboard, and is the classic restaurant menu and service brochure. A Z-fold has two folds in a concertina so it opens panel by panel, which suits steps, timelines, maps and anything sequential. C-fold and Z-fold both give six panels; the difference is the order people meet them in. If the content has a running order, use Z. If it is a set of sections, use C.

How quickly can I get folded leaflets printed?

Order before 3pm and you have five options: free same day collection from our SE1 HQ, same day delivery across London from £45 in about 90 minutes, next day UK-wide via DPD for £6.99, pre-10am next morning via DPD for £19.99, or Saturday delivery for £19.99. Folded leaflets arrive folded and ready to use, and the folding is included. If you are cutting it fine on a large run, email hello@rapidprintpro.com first and we will confirm before you order.

Which paper stock should I choose for a folded leaflet?

There are five stocks, and folding changes the advice because heavier is not automatically better once a sheet has to bend. 150gsm Recycled Silk is the default: it folds crisply and is cheapest in volume. 250gsm Recycled Silk is more substantial and still folds cleanly, which makes it the sweet spot for menus. 350gsm Recycled Silk is premium and stiff, and we crease it before folding so it does not crack. 150gsm Uncoated Matt is natural and tactile and takes a pen. 350gsm Uncoated Matt is thick, matte and faintly textured. For a 6pp fold on 350gsm, contact us first, because that is a lot of card to put two folds through.

How should I supply artwork for a folded leaflet?

Supply your design at the flat size with 3mm bleed all round, as a PDF with two pages: outside first, inside second. Do not send six separate panel files or pre-folded spreads. Use 300dpi at full size, keep text 5mm clear of every fold line as well as the trim, and flatten any transparency before you export. Mark which side is the front if it is not obvious. We set the fold positions here, so you do not need to draw guides, and if your panels are in the wrong order we will spot it before it prints.

Why are the panels on my folded leaflet not all the same width?

On a C-fold they should not be. The panel that tucks inside has to be a couple of millimetres narrower, or it catches on the fold and the leaflet will not close flat. We handle that trim, so you only need to keep type clear of the folds. On a Z-fold all three panels are equal, because nothing tucks inside anything. If you have drawn your own panel guides at exactly one third each for a C-fold, that is why the design looked slightly off. Design to the full flat sheet and let us place the folds.

What quantities of folded leaflets can I order and what do they cost?

Six quantities are available: 100, 250, 500, 1,000, 2,500 and 5,000, starting from £69. Choose your flat size, fold, sides, stock and quantity and the price updates instantly. The cost per leaflet falls sharply as the run grows, because the folding setup is the same whether you print 100 or 1,000, so small runs carry more of it. For more than 5,000, or a fold that is not listed, email hello@rapidprintpro.com and we will price it.

Rapid Print Pro | Londons First Choice-Folded Leaflet Printing | Next Day Folded Leaflets

Folds • sizes • speed

Folded leaflet FAQs

This is the one that trips people up, so it’s worth thirty seconds. Flat size is the sheet before we fold it — that’s the size you design at. Folded size is what lands on the desk.

A4 flat, half fold gives you a 4pp A5
A4 flat, C or Z fold gives you a 6pp DL
444 × 210mm flat gives you a 6pp A5

The two are locked together — pick a flat size and the folded options follow from it. There’s a full chart further down this page. Always set your artwork up at the flat size, never the folded one.

pp means printed pages, and it counts every printed side rather than every sheet. One sheet has two sides, so one sheet is 2pp.

4pp — one fold, four panels to design. Front, inside left, inside right, back.
6pp — two folds, six panels. Three on each side of the sheet.

It’s still one sheet of paper in both cases, which is what keeps a folded leaflet so much cheaper than a stitched booklet. Need more than six panels? That’s a booklet, starting at 8pp.

Three folds, and the choice is really about how you want it read:

Half fold — one fold, four panels. Simple and clean. Programmes, short menus, price cards, order of service.
C-fold — two folds, panels tuck inside each other so it opens like a little cupboard. The classic restaurant menu and service brochure.
Z-fold — two folds in a concertina, so it opens panel by panel. Right for steps, timelines, maps and anything sequential.

C-fold and Z-fold both give you six panels — the difference is the order people meet them in. If the content has a running order, use Z. If it’s a set of sections, use C.

Order before 3pm and you’ve got options:

Collect from our SE1 HQ — free, same day
Same day delivery across London — from £45, about 90 minutes
Next day UK-wide via DPD — £6.99
Pre-10am next morning via DPD — £19.99
Saturday delivery — £19.99

They arrive folded and ready to use — the folding happens here, and it’s included. Cutting it fine on a big run? Email hello@rapidprintpro.com first and we’ll confirm before you order.

Five stocks, and folding changes the advice a little — heavier is not automatically better once a sheet has to bend.

150gsm Recycled Silk — the default. Folds crisply, cheapest in volume, right for most jobs.
250gsm Recycled Silk — more substantial in the hand and still folds cleanly. The sweet spot for menus.
350gsm Recycled Silk — properly premium and stiff. We crease before folding so it doesn’t crack.
150gsm Uncoated Matt — natural, tactile, takes a pen. Good for anything written on.
350gsm Uncoated Matt — thick, matte, faintly textured. The designer’s pick.

For a 6pp fold on 350gsm, ring or email us first — it’s a lot of card to put two folds through, and there’s usually a better answer.

Supply at the flat size with 3mm bleed all round, as a PDF, two pages — outside first, inside second. Not six separate panel files, and not pre-folded spreads.

300dpi at full size
Keep text 5mm clear of every fold line, not just the trim
Flatten transparency before you export
Mark which side is the front if it isn’t obvious — a note in the order is fine

We set the fold positions here, so you don’t need to draw guides. If your panels are in the wrong order we’ll spot it before it prints.

On a C-fold they shouldn’t be. The panel that tucks inside has to be a couple of millimetres narrower, or it catches on the fold and the leaflet won’t close flat.

C-fold — the inner panel is trimmed slightly narrower. We handle this; you just keep type clear of the folds.
Z-fold — all three panels are equal, because nothing tucks inside anything.

If you’ve drawn your own panel guides at exactly one third each for a C-fold, that’s why the design looked slightly off. Design to the full flat sheet and let us place the folds.

Six quantities: 100, 250, 500, 1,000, 2,500 and 5,000, from £69. Pick flat size, fold, sides, stock and quantity above and the price updates instantly.

The cost per leaflet falls sharply as the run grows — the folding setup is the same whether you print 100 or 1,000, so small runs carry more of it.
Need more than 5,000, or a fold we don’t list? Email hello@rapidprintpro.com and we’ll price it.

Folded leaflets printed in London by Rapid Print Pro - half fold, C-fold and Z-fold menus and mini brochures

One sheet, six panels, no stitching

A brochure without the price tag.

A fold is the cheapest upgrade in print. One sheet, two creases, and suddenly there’s room for a full menu, a service list, a price breakdown or a story that will never fit on one side of an A5 — without paying for a stitched booklet.

Five flat sizes, three folds, six finished formats, five stocks. Printed, creased, folded and packed in Tabard Street, with the same 3pm cutoff as everything else we make. They arrive folded and ready to use — that isn’t an extra.

4pp & 6pp half · C · Z fold A6 → A4 finished 5 stocks FSC paper from £69

How to order: pick your flat size first, then the fold — the two are linked, and the chart below shows exactly what you get. Then upload artwork, design it free online, or let us design it for you. Every file is checked by a human before it prints.

★★★★★ Trustpilot · Excellent ★★★★★ Google · 4.9 Read our reviews →

Three folds • one right answer

Pick your fold.

4pp One fold

Half fold

One crease down the middle, four panels. The simplest and the cheapest, and the hardest to get wrong — it opens like a card, so nobody has to work out which way round it goes.

Best forEvent programmes, short menus, price cards, order of service, simple product sheets.

6pp Two folds

C-fold

Two creases, panels tucking inside each other so it opens like a small cupboard. The classic menu shape — a cover, then a full spread when it opens out.

Best forRestaurant menus, service brochures, mini catalogues, price lists with sections.

6pp Two folds

Z-fold

Two creases in opposite directions, so it concertinas. It opens panel by panel, which makes it the one to use when the content has an order to it.

Best forStep-by-step guides, timelines, maps, how-it-works explainers, festival line-ups.

Short version: four panels is plenty → half fold · sections → C-fold · a running order → Z-fold.

Not sure? Email us →

The bit the configurator doesn’t explain

Flat size in, folded size out.

Design at this Fold You get

An A3 sheet folded once to A4. Four full A4 panels, and an A3 spread when it opens right out — the most space you can get without moving to a bound booklet.

Best forLarge menus, property particulars, annual summaries, exhibition handouts.

An A4 sheet folded once to A5. Opens like a card, so nobody has to work out which way round it goes — the easiest folded leaflet to design and the hardest to get wrong.

Best forEvent programmes, newsletters, product sheets, order of service.

An A5 sheet folded once to A6, finishing at 105 × 148mm. Small, cheap in volume and genuinely pocketable — the one that gets taken home rather than left on the table.

Best forProduct manuals, care instructions, pocket guides, table cards.

Folded once to 99 × 210mm. That odd flat size exists purely so it halves to DL — which drops straight into a standard envelope with nothing left over and no second fold.

Best forDirect mail, invoice inserts, compact menus, take-one cards.

An A4 sheet folded into thirds, finishing at 99 × 210mm. Six panels of space, slim enough for a rack or a jacket pocket, and by far our most ordered folded leaflet.

Best forRestaurant menus, service brochures, rack leaflets, price lists.

Folded into thirds, finishing at A5. The other odd flat size, and for the same reason: 444 divides by three into 148mm, which is exactly A5.

Best forCompact newsletters, wider menus, six-panel guides, festival line-ups.

Tap any row for what it suits. Those two odd flat sizes aren’t odd at all: 198 halves to 99mm, which is DL, and 444 thirds to 148mm, which is A5. Design at the left-hand column, always. If you set your artwork up at the folded size, the panels won’t land where you meant them to.

A fold isn’t always the answer

Not quite right?

Flat flyers and leaflets printed same day in London

Just need a handout?

Flyers & Leaflets

No fold, no fuss, and a lot cheaper per piece. A6, A5, A4, DL and square, six stocks, from £19. The one for leaflet drops and street handouts.

See flyers & leaflets →

A5 and A4 booklets and brochures printed in London

Need more space?

Booklets & Brochures

Six panels isn’t enough? Go bound. 8pp to 64pp, A4 or A5, stapled, perfect bound or wiro. Catalogues, reports, manuals and lookbooks.

See booklets & brochures →

Need something bigger?

Roller Banners

When it has to be seen across a room rather than read in the hand. 85cm, 100cm and 150cm wide, cassette and graphic included, same 3pm cutoff.

See roller banners →

Still weighing it up? Fewer than six panels → fold it · more than six → bind it · read from across the room → banner it.

Get it print-perfect

Let’s play by the rules.

Try to use PDF

Save as PDF/X-1a:2001 for the most accurate print. Can’t? No stress — PNG, JPEG or whatever you have works, and the artwork team will get in touch if anything needs fixing (or maybe just for a chat if they’re feeling lonely).

Supply at the FLAT size

The single most important rule on this page. Design at the unfolded sheet size with 3mm bleed all round — A4 flat for a 6pp DL, not DL. The chart above has every pairing.

Two pages, outside first

Send one PDF with two pages: outside face first, inside face second. Not six panel files, not a pre-folded mock-up. If the front isn’t obvious, say so in the order notes.

Mind the fold lines

Keep text and logos 5mm clear of every crease, not just the trim. Type that lands on a fold gets a line through it, and a logo straddling one never looks deliberate.

Flatten transparency

Drop shadows, glows and blend modes look perfect on screen and can do genuinely strange things on press. Flatten before exporting and what you see is what you get.

Resolution & type size

300dpi at full size, from originals rather than screenshots or WhatsApp exports. Keep type above 6pt — a folded panel is narrow, and small print gets smaller when it’s squeezed into a third of an A4.

Which fold should you choose?

Folded Leaflets

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Folded leaflet FAQs

A brochure without the price tag.

Pick your fold.

Flat size in, folded size out.

Not quite right?

Let’s play by the rules.

Reasons to buy.

Delivery that suits you.

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Which fold should you choose?

Folded Leaflets

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Folded leaflet FAQs

A brochure without the price tag.

Pick your fold.

Flat size in, folded size out.

Not quite right?

Let’s play by the rules.

Reasons to buy.

Delivery that suits you.

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Flyers & Leaflets

Roller Banners - Pull up, Pop up Banners

Don't Gamble withDeadlines.

Don't Gamble with
Deadlines.