How to Make a Brochure on Microsoft Word

A person holding a brochure.

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by Joli Ballew
Microsoft MVP, Lynda.com trainer, Microsoft Press author, and college professor.
Updated February 07, 2019

You can create brochures using just about any version of Microsoft Word including Word 2003, Word 2007, Word 2010, Word 2013, Word 2016, and Word Online, part of Office 365. A brochure is generally a single page of text and images that is folded in half (bifold) or in threes (trifold). The information often introduces a particular product, company, or event. Brochures may also be called pamphlets or leaflets.

You can create a brochure in any version of Word by opening one of Word’s many templates and personalizing it to suit your needs. You can also create a brochure from scratch by opening a blank document and using the page layout options, creating your own columns and designing your template from scratch. 

Create a Brochure from a Template

How to create a brochure form a template in Microsoft Word.

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The easiest way to create a brochure in any version of Microsoft Word is to start with a template. A template already has the columns and placeholders configured, and you only need to input your own text and images.

The steps in this section show how to open and create a brochure in Word 2016. If you want to make a brochure on Microsoft Word 2003, Word 2007, Word 2010, Word 2013, Word 2016, and Word Online, part of Office 365, select and open your template, and start at Step 3 when you’re ready:

  1. Click File, and click New.
  2. Scroll through the options, select a brochure you like, and click Create. If you don’t see one, search for “Brochure” in the Search window and select one from the results.
  3. Click in any area of the brochure and begin typing over the placeholder text.
  4. Right-click any picture, select Change Picture, and make the appropriate selection to add images.
  5. Repeat as desired, until the template is complete.
  6. Click File, then Save As, type a name for the file, and click Save.

Create a Brochure from Scratch

Changing the layout of the brochure in Microsoft Word.

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Although we highly suggest you use a template to create your brochures, it is possible to create them from scratch. To do that, you’ll first need to know how to get to the Page Layout options in your version of Word and how to use those options to create columns. Following that you'll need to choose Portrait or Landscape mode to define how you want to fold the brochure you create, once you've finished it.

You'll separate the page into two columns for a bi-fold brochure and three for trifold. To create columns in:

  • Word 2003, 2007, 2010, 2013, click the Page Layout tab, click Columns, and choose the number of columns to add.
  • Word 2016, click the Layout tab, click Columns, and choose the number of columns to add.
  • Word Online, click Edit in Word. (You cannot create columns in Word Online.) Then choose the appropriate command based on your version of Microsoft Word.

To change the page layout from portrait to landscape (or landscape to portrait) in:

  • Word 2003, click File > Page Setup > Margins > Orientation, and then Landscape.
  • Word 2007, Word 2013, and Word Online click the Page Layout tab, Orientation, and then Landscape.
  • Word 2010, click the Page Layout tab, Page Setup Dialog Box Launcher, and under Orientation click Landscape.
  • Word 2016, click the Layout tab, click Orientation, and click Landscape.

Edit or Add Text and Images

Adding text or images in Microsoft Word.

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Once you have the layout created for a brochure, whether it's part of a template or from columns you've created, you can start to personalize the brochure with your own data. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

In any version of Microsoft Word:

  • Place your cursor in the document where you want to start typing and use the Home tab to choose fonts, font sizes, and font colors, and to add bulleted lists or numbered lists.
  • Copy any image from any source then right-click and choose Paste to add it to your brochure.
  • Highlight any existing text and press Delete on the keyboard to remove it.
  • Highlight any existing text and use the options on the Home tab to change the formatting of it.
  • Click the Insert tab and browse to an image to add and then double-click it to insert the image on the page.