How to Make a Brochure on Microsoft Word

Updated November 08, 2019

Brochures are also called booklets, pamphlets, and leaflets. Some are trifold, some are bifold, but all brochures are folded sheets with defined pages and sections. To create a brochure in Word, open a template and personalize it to suit your needs. Or, open a blank document and use the page layout options to create columns and design a template from scratch. Here's how to make a brochure in Word using both methods.

Person printing a brochure at home — Lifewire / Theresa Chiechi

Instructions in this article apply to Word for Office 365, Word 2019, Word 2016, Word 2013, and Word 2010.

How to Create a Brochure from a Template

The easiest way to create a brochure in any version of Microsoft Word is to start with a template, which has the columns and placeholders configured. Change the document and add your text and images.

Select File > New.
In the Search for Online Templates text box, type brochure, then press Enter.
Choose the style you want and select Create to download the template. The template automatically opens in a new Word document.
Select sample text in any section and enter your custom text. Replace the sample text throughout the template.

To customize the text, change the font, color, and size.
Replace the sample images, if desired. Select an image, right-click, and select Change Image. Choose the location of the picture you want to use, navigate to the image, then select Insert.
To change the default color theme of the template, go to the Design tab.
Select the Colors drop-down arrow and choose a theme.

Point to a theme in the Colors drop-down list to preview before applying it.
Save the changes to the brochure when you are finished customizing it. Refer to the printer documentation or manufacturer website to find instructions on how to print double-sided documents.

How to Make a Brochure in Word from Scratch

To create a brochure from scratch, start with a blank document.

Change the document's orientation. Go to the Layout tab and select Orientation > Landscape.

Orientation is set to Portrait by default.
Add a second page for a double-sided brochure. Go to the Insert tab and, in the Pages group, choose Blank Page.
Choose the number of columns. Go to the Layout tab and select Columns. Then, choose Two to create a bi-fold brochure, or choose Three to create a tri-fold brochure.
Add and format the text. To format the text, select the text, go to the Home tab, then choose a font, font size, and font color, or add a bulleted list or numbered list.

Another way to place text in a brochure is to insert a text box and add text to the text box.
Add photos or graphics. Select the location in the document where you want to place the picture, go to the Insert tab, and select Pictures.
Save the changes to the brochure when you are finished customizing it. Refer to the printer documentation or manufacturer website to find instructions on how to print double-sided documents.