Folded Leaflets Scotland: The Complete Buying Guide

A folded leaflet is the most useful piece of print most businesses will ever order. It costs less than a brochure, carries far more than a flyer, and folds down to something that fits a pocket, a rack, an envelope or a countertop. If you have services to explain, a menu to hand out, a treatment list, a price list or a programme, this is almost certainly the format you want.

This guide covers everything we print in our Folded Leaflets range at our Paisley studio — the seven folds, the seven papers, the quantities, the lead times, and how to decide between them. If you already know the fold you want, skip to the range.

What counts as a folded leaflet?

Any single sheet, printed both sides, then folded one or more times. That's it. The fold is what separates it from a flyer, and the fold is what does the work: it creates panels, and panels create a reading order. A well-planned leaflet reveals its content in the order you want it read — cover, then the reason to keep reading, then the detail, then how to get in touch.

Because it's a single sheet, there's no binding, no stitching and no spine. That keeps it fast to produce and inexpensive at low volumes, which is why it suits businesses that want something professional without committing to a brochure run.

The seven folds we print

Bi-Fold

One fold, two panels each side, four pages in total. The simplest and most economical folded format we offer. Ideal for price lists, quick promotions, event flyers with a bit more to say, and any straightforward introduction to a business. If you're not sure you need a fold at all, this is the one to start with.

A4 Tri-Fold

An A4 sheet folded twice into three panels each side — six panels, and the most popular leaflet format we print. It folds down to 99 x 210mm, which fits a standard DL envelope and a standard leaflet rack. The three-panel structure suits the classic sequence: introduce, explain, call to action. If someone asks for "a leaflet" without further detail, this is usually what they mean.

A4 Folded to A5

A single fold across an A4 sheet, giving four wide A5 panels rather than the narrow strips of a tri-fold. That extra panel width changes what you can do with the layout — full-bleed images work far better, and a strong front cover carries more weight. Good for event programmes, menus and anything where the visual matters as much as the copy.

Gate Fold

Two outer panels fold inward to meet in the middle, opening like a pair of doors onto a three-panel centre spread. It is the most theatrical fold we print and the one people remember. Worth the extra cost when the reveal is part of the message — a product launch, a portfolio, a venue, a wedding package.

A3 Folded to A4

Double the canvas of a standard leaflet. A full A3 sheet folded once down to A4. This is the format for maps, wall charts, floor plans, timetables, price boards and anything with a large visual that needs to fold flat for handing out or posting. It's also the right answer when a tri-fold simply cannot hold the content.

Multi-Panel DL (Concertina)

Four, five or six panels folded concertina-style down to a slim DL pocket size — giving eight, ten or twelve pages. Built for content: step-by-step guides, itineraries, detailed price lists, product ranges, walking routes. The concertina fold means it opens progressively, so you can pace the information rather than dumping it all at once.

Multi-Panel A5

The same layered idea in a more compact A5 footprint, in portrait or landscape, folding to a three-panel booklet with six pages. Portrait reads like a pocket guide; landscape gives you a panoramic spread that suits timelines, before-and-after sequences and wide imagery.

Choosing your paper

We print folded leaflets on seven stocks across three families. Every one is FSC certified, and the choice matters more than most people expect — the same design on 150gsm silk and 250gsm uncoated reads as two different pieces of print.

Silk is the everyday choice: a smooth, lightly coated surface with a low sheen that holds colour cleanly without the glare of gloss. 150gsm is the standard leaflet weight and our best seller. 170gsm gives a little more substance in the hand. 250gsm is a light card — noticeably more premium, and the right call for menus, price lists and anything that will be handled repeatedly.

Uncoated has no surface coating at all. Colours sit slightly softer and warmer because the ink absorbs into the sheet rather than resting on top. It takes pen and pencil readily, which matters if anyone needs to write on it — booking forms, order slips, appointment cards, questionnaires. It also reads as understated and honest, which is why professional services and heritage brands often prefer it.

Recycled is 100% post-consumer waste, with a soft, tactile finish and a very slight natural fleck. If sustainability is part of what you're communicating, this is the stock that says it without you having to write it on the page.

Not sure? Ask us for a printed sample of the stocks you're considering. Paper is genuinely difficult to judge on a screen, and we'd rather send you a swatch than have you guess.

Quantities and pricing

Our online pricing runs from 50 to 1,000 copies. Fifty is a deliberately low entry point — it exists so you can trial a design, cover a single event, or get something in hand before committing to a bigger run.

Above 1,000 we price individually. That isn't a brush-off: past that point the economics change, and quoting each job properly gets you a better rate than a fixed table would. Runs of 2,000, 5,000, 10,000 and beyond are routine for us. Call 0141 237 1924 or email sales@printstudioscotland.com and we'll come back the same working day.

Lead times

Most folded leaflets are 2-3 working days from artwork approval. The larger and more heavily folded formats — A3 Folded to A4 and the multi-panel concertinas — are 3-5 working days, because the folding is a separate operation and the sheets need time to settle before they're finished.

If you have a hard deadline, tell us. We print in-house, so we can often move a job up the schedule — and if we can't hit your date, we'll say so rather than let you find out late.

Artwork

Supply a print-ready PDF at finished flat size with 3mm bleed on all edges and trim marks. Keep anything important at least 5mm inside the trim line, and remember that folded panels are not always equal widths — on a tri-fold, the panel that tucks inside is deliberately a couple of millimetres narrower so the fold closes cleanly. Our templates handle this for you.

Full detail, including panel widths and the common mistakes, is in our artwork and design guide.

Where to start

If you're weighing up formats, our guide to the folds shows each one panel by panel, and Which Leaflet Fold Should You Choose? puts them head to head by content, budget and purpose. For stock, the paper guide covers all seven in detail.

Or just tell us what you're trying to achieve and we'll tell you what we'd print. We've been doing this from the same Paisley mill building since 2010, and the advice is free.