Printing Brochures with Moxicopy

A properly written, designed, and printed brochure can be one of the most powerful tools that can be used by any entity. I would like to bring to your attention some of the common mistakes in brochure design, writing and printing, and how to avoid them.

Get a quote for our Brochure Print Services

One question to ask yourself is, what is the purpose of the finished product? There are only two functions for brochure printing and the design will depend upon which function you decide.

The first function of printing brochures is to attract attention. People need to want to know what else the brochure says based upon an attention getting headline. The brochure is intended to spend all of it’s time exposed to as much of the target market as possible, and must play upon the emotions of the customer. It must be short thoughts and plenty of blank areas rather than long paragraphs. It must also contain “a call to action”. This is something that requires the reader to do something. Make a call, clip a coupon, go to a place, buy something, get in contact.

You want to get the reader’s attention then get them to want more. We just want to tickle the palate. Also, before you consider graphics for a brochure, always have your message written first. After all, you only have a certain amount of space to print the message. An important question to ask is, what does the customer want to know from the brochure. Brevity is important when writing a printed brochure, but you need to express the wants of the customer. Try to paint a picture with the words that you use, “a picture is worth a thousand words” after all. Think of the way stories are told and hold the readers attention. Include a customer benefit when ever possible.

In the body of the brochure, be sure to show that you understand the problem and are speaking to them. Don’t speak about the product first, speak about the problem, then how your product solves the problem.

You may even want some of the brochure to be written by the customer or an employee. It’s sometimes hard for a business owner to look at the product or the marketplace with a fresh pair of eyes. You may be surprised at what you get from an employee or a customer.

Always assume that the customer will buy the item or take the action that you want, don’t ask maybe or if. And never ask open ended questions. Make any phrase and any questions answer only in a as a yes. Resist the need to list all of the important features of your product, you should no more than 9 or 10 lines per paragraph.

Do not have more than 3 sentences per paragraph, Do not indent paragraphs that have a space between them. Do not start sentences with numbers. Do not use two spaces after periods when using a computer. Page layout and word processing programs put the proper spacing after periods automatically. Do not use italics on your website after using italics in the sentence.

When choosing a printer for your brochure. Be sure that the printer understands what you want to say with the brochure. What are you trying to convey? If you are telling a message of saving money you may not want to use glossy flashy paper stock, or colors. Your printer will be able to make suggestions regarding color of paper as well as the feel of the different paper types. Don’t forget to shop around for a commercial printer that will work within the budget requirements of your project. And don’t be afraid to ask questions such as, will the brochure be mailed out or hand distributed or be in a brochure rack. These may determine the paper that you choose. Also, will the brochure have a tear out, and need to be perforated.

Does the printed offer discounts on large volume jobs. Is it better to use an online printer or a local copy shop? Online printers often will be the lower cost option, but it’s often a good idea to request a printed sample, unless you have a track record of working with the printer. Do you want the brochure printed in black and white onto colored paper or color ink onto white paper. Gloss paper, standard bond paper or cover stock? Your printer will have many samples for you to see or the online printer may send samples to you. Nothing beats seeing and feeling the samples first hand.

You may decide that after taking everything into consideration, you may want to employ a professional graphics and printing team to make these decisions for you so that you can continue running your business.