Microsoft Word 2007 (a.k.a. Word 7) offers a variety of brochure templates, but what if you quickly want to create your own? This tutorial gives a thorough walkthrough on how to do just that.
Step 1
Open up Word. You will automatically have a new blank document. Go to Page Layout, click Margins and choose Narrow.
Step 2
Click now on Orientation and choose Landscape.
Step 3
Still on the Page Layout Tap, choose Page Color and pick a color to your liking.
Step 4
Now go to the Insert Tap and select the Text Box button. Choose Simple form the pop up window. Since we are creating a Standard Tri-fold Brochure with the size 8.5 x 11 inch, we want the text box to be around 3.5 in. Place the text box on the right hand side. Type some text or leave the default text.
Step 5
Right click on the text box and choose Format Text Box from the bottom of the pop up window. There you can set the background and outline. I set the color and outline to none.
Step 6
While still in the Format Text Box window, choose the Text Box Tab and set the text to be align to the center of the text box.
Step 7
Go now to the Shapes button (we are still on the Insert Tab) and add a rectangle. Set the size to the lenght of the document and choose a height and fill color. The right click and from the Order option set the box behind the text.
Step 8
Add more shapes and more text boxes. Remember that we have a trifold brochure and we are adding therefore at least three text boxes. As a small help, you can set the default text box to three columns (Page Layout Tab). This might help you to align the added text boxes.
Step 9
Here is what we have so far. Some shapes, some text boxes with a header and a list.
Step 10
Add another text box just like we did in Step 4. Repeat this step for each brochure panel. Since we have per page three panels, you might want to add three bigger text boxes.
Step 11
This is what I have so far. Add as many elements as you want. You can fold a trifold brochure two ways , Accordion Fold or Gate Fold. You are looking at the outside of the brochure.
Step 12
This is the inside if we are making an accordion fold. I kept the style the same.
Step 13
Here are the two pages. The back panel could have the contact info or the inside panel. Once you add all the text, images or any other elements, you can print your brochure on your home printer. Make sure you can print borderless. Once you printed the first pages, turn over your page and print the other page onto the paper.
Conclusion
This is how the brochure can look like. Nothing fancy or complicated but semi professional looking.
