How to Make a Brochure in Microsoft Word

Brochures can be found everywhere, from the doctor’s office to conferences and even in the archives of your local library.

Brochures are popular because they present information in a visually appealing format and this is the reason why companies love using them in marketing campaigns and as tools to showcase products and services.

Creating a brochure in Microsoft Word is pretty straightforward, which is what I’ll show you how to do in this blog (alternatively, you can also use our Free Brochure Maker or brochure templates).

Click to jump ahead:

Benefits of Microsoft Word
Creating a brochure in Microsoft Word
How to make a tri-fold brochure in Microsoft Word
How to create a professional brochure online
Conclusion

Benefits of using Microsoft Word

One significant benefit of using Microsoft Word for creating brochures is that you don’t need much design experience. And if that’s not enough of a reason, here are some additional benefits:

Widely accessible: Word comes pre-installed on most devices, so you don’t need to download fancy software.
User-friendly interface: Most people have used Word in their personal or professional lives and know how to create basic layouts.
Customization potential: Word offers many text, images, and design customization options.

Creating a brochure in Microsoft Word

You can make brochures in Word using templates (a great option if you don’t have design skills or time) or manually from scratch (if you want complete control over your creation).

Let’s explore each method in detail.

Open a new Word doc

When you open Microsoft Word, you’ll be greeted by a welcome screen. Click on the Blank Document option.

Select a brochure template and edit

In Word, you can use pre-made templates to save time, but you can also create a brochure from scratch (more on that in a bit).

To find brochure templates, click File > New and type “Brochures” in the search bar.

Word offers brochure templates for different purposes, such as informational pamphlets, announcements, and product catalogs, so choose one that best suits your needs.

Once you select a template, you can edit it with your images or content and move items around by dragging and dropping.

Once finished, click on File > Save As to save your brochure.

Set up your layout

Here’s what you must do to create a brochure from scratch.

Go to the “Layout” tab at the top of your screen. You should see options to define the margins, columns, and page orientation.

Here are the settings you should select for each:

Margins: 1 inch for top, bottom, left, and right edges.
Columns: Most brochures have three columns (tri-fold brochures).
Page orientation: Choose landscape.

Pick your color scheme

Once you have the basic brochure structure, pick a color scheme that aligns with your brand identity and improves visual appeal.

To do this, click the Design tab and then the Page Color option to choose a background color.

Add text and high-quality images

Next, it’s time to add the content (text and images).

To add text, click on the Insert tab and select Text Box. Word lets you add different types of text boxes, from pre-formatted styles to custom boxes, to suit your layout needs and to make your brochure more visually appealing.

Once you insert a Text Box, you can move it around, resize it, and format it with fonts, colors, and sizes to enhance design and readability.

To add images to your Word brochure, click on Insert and then Pictures. You can either upload your own images or browse stock photos online.

Make sure only to use high-resolution images so your visuals don’t blur when brochures are printed.

Add shapes to your brochure (if needed)

Though not necessary, if you want to create a visual separation between brochure columns, add lines by clicking Insert and then Shapes.

Add a watermark

To give our brochure a polished look, add a watermark by clicking on Design and then Watermark.

If you’re interested in further customizing your watermark, explore Visual Watermark’s guide on how to add watermark in Word for step-by-step instructions and tips.

Format and customize your brochure

Remember to touch up your brochure to make it as professional as possible. Some of your options include.

Formatting text by changing font style, adjusting size, and aligning text to improve your content’s visual hierarchy and readability.
Customizing design by adding borders and shapes to your brochure.

These small changes will make a big difference in helping you create a more organized and visually engaging layout.

How to make a tri-fold brochure in Microsoft Word

Tri-fold brochures are a great way to get a lot of information in a compact and reader-friendly format. They’re often used to design product sheets, menus, and event programs.

Tri-fold brochures are divided into three sections on each side, for a total of six panels. Here’s how to create tri-fold brochures in Microsoft Word.

Create the table structure: Start by inserting a table with three columns and one row, which will serve as the framework for your brochure. Next, adjust the column widths to ensure each panel is equal in size. Last, remove the table borders.
Folding and printing considerations: Set the margins to be narrow to maximize the usable space on each brochure panel. Typically, a 0.5-inch margin on all sides works well. When printing, choose the duplex option, if available on your printer, to allow it on both sides of the paper.

How to create a professional quality brochure online

If you find Word too rigid for creating brochures, the good news is that there are alternatives using online with digital editor tools that provide a drag-and-drop interface (like Venngage).

Venngage also gives you some cool customization features like:

Ability to add your brand colors to any brochure with one click (My Brand Kit – available only to Business users).
Access to an in-editor library featuring high-quality graphics, images, and diverse icons.

Want to learn more about creating brochures? Check out other posts:

Differences Between a Brochure and a Pamphlet

How to Design a Brochure for Marketing

35+ Marketing Brochure Examples, Tips and Templates (2024)

Or watch our video on how to create brochures.

If there’s one thing you should remember when creating brochures, it’s the need to maintain a consistent design in all business documents and communication channels.

This can be hard if you’re not a designer, which is when using brochure templates makes sense.

Here are some brochure templates you can edit or use as inspiration to create your own.

This brochure features a tri-fold layout to educate audiences about flu vaccinations. Its design includes text, infographics and icons (syringes and viruses) to create a visually engaging experience.

This brochure serves a corporate purpose and can be used by companies to educate others about their services and/or products.

This brochure can be used as a vibrant visual guide to inform travellers. The layout is clean and modern, with a clear division of sections for easy reading.

One last word of advice before I wrap this up. Once you’ve finalized your brochure in Word and are ready to print, use the following print settings:

Paper size: For a tri-fold brochure, use the “Letter” (8.5 x 11 inches) paper size in the United States or “A4” (210 x 297 mm) in other countries.
Double-sided printing: Select “Double-Sided” or “Duplex” in the print settings.

Conclusion: Make brochures in minutes without any design skills in Venngage

Check out our brochure templates if you need professional brochures to promote your business, fulfill marketing needs, serve as educational material, or for any other purpose.

Our editor interface is intuitive and won’t leave you frustrated like Word. You’ll actually have fun creating a brochure you’re proud to share with the world.