Flyer vs Leaflet vs Brochure vs Pamphlet in Singapore

A flyer is one flat sheet, printed on one or both sides and read at a glance. A leaflet is the same single sheet, flat or folded; a brochure is a sheet folded into panels that are read in a set order; and a pamphlet is a short booklet of folded sheets bound through the spine. Because everyday usage blurs the four words, a print quotation is written against what the piece physically is: flat, folded or bound.

What is the difference between a flyer, a leaflet, a brochure and a pamphlet?

The difference is construction, not name. A flyer is one flat sheet. A leaflet is one sheet that may be flat or folded. A brochure is one sheet folded into panels, so it has an outside, an inside and an order of reading. A pamphlet is several folded sheets bound together into a short booklet, which is why it is quoted as a booklet.

EZ Print’s own service pages follow the same split. The flyer page covers “flyers and leaflets”, flat or folded, as one product. The brochure page covers “brochures and folded leaflets”, where the fold pattern is the whole design. Multi-page pieces such as catalogues, programmes and company profiles sit on the booklet page, because once sheets are bound the binding sets the rules.

In practice, the questions that change a quotation are simple. Is it one sheet or several? Does it fold, and how? Does it need a cover on a heavier stock? Answer those three and the right word for the piece follows on its own.

Which sizes and paper weights does each format use?

Flyers and leaflets run at A6, DL, A5 and A4, with a 148 × 148 mm square trimming from the same sheet. Brochures are usually an A4 sheet folded to DL or A5, or A3 folded to A4. Stocks for all three run from 128–157 gsm gloss art paper to 310–350 gsm matt art card, and booklets add a heavier cover over a lighter text stock.

Each size has a job:

• A6, 105 × 148 mm. Postcard scale, and it fits a pocket without folding.
• DL, 99 × 210 mm. One third of A4, the standard rack and envelope size in Singapore, and the shape of a folded tri-fold panel.
• A5, 148 × 210 mm. The default flyer: big enough for a headline and an image, small enough to carry.
• A4, 210 × 297 mm. A poster you can hand over, and also the flat size of a DL tri-fold.

Weight is most of the decision on whether a piece is kept. Under 150 gsm a sheet reads as disposable, which is right for a letterbox drop and wrong for a launch. The three stocks held for flyers and brochures are:

• Gloss art paper, held at 128 and 157 gsm. Thin enough to hand out in quantity, coated so photographs stay sharp, and at this weight it folds cleanly without a creasing pass. Ballpoint skids on the coating, so it is a poor choice for anything written on.
• Matt art card, held at 310, 350 and 400 gsm. A card rather than a paper. It stands up in a rack and survives a conference bag, but it has to be creased before it will fold without cracking.
• Uncoated woodfree, held at 300, 350 and 400 gsm. Completely matt and warm in the hand, and it takes a pen, which suits forms, booking slips and workbooks.

The reliable rule for folded pieces is that the more panels there are, the lighter the sheet should be. Two panels can carry 350 gsm; six panels on the same stock will not close. For more on choosing grammage for folded work, see the guide to brochure paper weights.

How do folds turn a single sheet into a leaflet or brochure?

A fold turns one sheet into panels and gives them an order. A bi-fold makes four panels, a DL tri-fold or Z fold makes six, and a roll fold of A3 to A4 makes eight. Anything above 170 gsm is creased before it is folded, and on a tri-fold or roll fold the panels that tuck inside are cut narrower so the piece closes flat.

The common fold patterns, with what each one is good and bad at:

• Bi-fold, A4 to A5. Four panels. The simplest and most forgiving, right for a menu or a capability statement.
• Tri-fold, A4 to DL. Six panels. The panel that tucks inside is cut about a millimetre narrower, so the artboard is not three equal thirds.
• Z fold, A4 to DL. Six panels opening flat like a concertina. All three panels are the same width, which suits content that runs in sequence.
• Gate fold, A4. Two flaps meeting at the centre. Theatrical, and unforgiving of an image that has to line up across the join.
• Roll fold, A3 to A4. Eight panels, each inner panel progressively narrower.

The order of work is fixed by the material. Film is bonded to the flat sheet first, then the sheet is creased, then it is folded. Folding a coated sheet over 170 gsm without creasing splits the coating along the spine and leaves a white line down the fold. The panel a reader meets first is the one that faces up, so the offer belongs on the outside. The guide to brochure fold reading sequence covers how to order content across panels.

When does a document need to be a stitched booklet instead?

When the content needs more pages than one folded sheet can give, it becomes a booklet, which is what most people mean by a pamphlet. Saddle stitching takes page counts in multiples of four, from 8 pages to about 64. Perfect binding starts at about 40 pages with a square printable spine, and wire-O takes any page count and opens completely flat.

The binding sets the arithmetic. A saddle-stitched booklet is built from folded sheets, and one folded sheet is four pages, so a 22-page document becomes a 24-page booklet with two blanks. Planning those two pages is better than finding them at imposition.

Each binding suits a different use:

• Saddle stitch. Folded, gathered and stitched through the fold. It opens nearly flat and has no printable spine. It is the usual binding for a short pamphlet, programme or catalogue.
• Perfect binding. Pages glued into a square spine that can carry a title, so the book is findable on a shelf. It does not open flat, and the glue has to cure before the book can be trimmed.
• Wire-O. Punched and wired. It opens completely flat and folds back on itself, which is why manuals and workbooks use it. There is no printable spine.

Text pages run 128–157 gsm gloss art paper, or 300 gsm uncoated where the book is written in. Covers run 310–350 gsm matt or gloss art card, laminated on the outside face. The heavier the text stock, the fewer pages a saddle stitch will take before the book stops closing. The guide to choosing booklet binding compares the three in more depth.

How should artwork be set up for each format?

Every format takes 3 mm of bleed on all four sides. A flyer keeps a 5 mm safe margin inside the trim, a folded piece keeps 7 mm clear of any fold, and a booklet keeps 12 mm clear of the spine on saddle stitch. Folds go on a separate unprinted layer, and booklets are supplied as single pages in reading order, never as printer spreads.

The file requirements differ by format:

• Flyer. Trim plus 3 mm bleed on all four sides, so an A5 flyer is drawn at 154 × 216 mm. Double-sided work is supplied as two single pages, front first.
• Leaflet or brochure. The artboard is the flat size plus bleed, so an A4 tri-fold is drawn at 216 × 303 mm. Folds are dashed lines on a layer named FOLD, never printed, with each panel width labelled. Keep 7 mm clear of any fold and 5 mm from any trim.
• Booklet. Single pages in reading order, page one being the front cover, every page at the trim size plus 3 mm bleed. Spine margins are 12 mm on saddle stitch, 15 mm on perfect binding and 18 mm on wire-O.

For all of them, PDF/X-4 is preferred and placed images should be 300 dpi at final size. Small text is set in K100 rather than a four-colour black, and a QR code on a folded panel should be at least 20 mm on the printed piece so it scans in a hand at arm’s length.

Which format should you choose for your campaign?

Choose by how the piece will be used, not by the name on the brief. A flat flyer suits a single offer read in a second. A folded brochure suits a short sequence of information. A stitched booklet suits content that needs pages. Then pick the stock for the setting: lighter paper for mass hand-outs, card for anything handed over in person.

Work through these before asking for a quotation:

• Message length. One offer fits a flat flyer. A short sequence of points fits a bi-fold or tri-fold. Anything that needs pages is a booklet.
• How it is handed over. A letterbox drop suits the lighter sheet. A piece handed to someone at an event suits card, because weight is the part of the decision they physically feel.
• Where it is displayed. DL fits racks and envelopes in Singapore. A square format will not fit a DL rack, which is sometimes the point.
• Whether it is written on. Uncoated stock takes a pen; coated stock does not.
• Fold and panel order. The offer goes on the panel that faces up. On a tri-fold or roll fold, the inner panels are drawn narrower.
• Page count. For a stitched booklet, the count is divisible by four, with any blanks stated.
• Finish. Matt or gloss lamination protects dark solids from fingerprints and scuffing; on a folded piece, lamination comes before creasing.
• Timing. Standard turnaround is 7–14 working days, flat or folded, laminated or not, and for every binding. Express is quoted per job.

What mistakes cause a reprint of folded and bound pieces?

Most reprints come from a handful of avoidable file and specification errors: folding heavy coated stock without creasing, drawing a roll fold as equal panels, running type across a fold, putting type inside the trim tolerance, and choosing a saddle-stitch page count that is not divisible by four. All of them are visible in the file before anything is printed.

1. Folding a 350 gsm coated sheet without creasing it first. The coating cracks along the spine and shows a white line down the middle of the fold.
2. A roll fold with every panel the same width. It will not close, because the innermost panel has to be narrower than the one wrapping it.
3. Type crossing a fold. It creases through the middle of the letterforms and looks like a printing fault when the fault was in the layout.
4. Type inside 5 mm of the trim. The cut moves slightly across a stack of sheets, so the margin looks uneven from piece to piece.
5. A photograph spanning a gate-fold opening. The two halves never meet exactly, and the eye reads the gap as a seam.
6. A saddle-stitched page count of 22. It becomes 24 with two blanks; plan the extra pages rather than discovering them.
7. Full-bleed dark backgrounds left unlaminated. Every fingerprint shows, and a stack scuffs against itself in transit.

Worked example: how would an A4 tri-fold brochure be specified?

Hypothetical planning example. Actual production timing, paper availability, and logistics are confirmed individually upon artwork and specification review. A marketing team needs a folded handout that explains three services in order and fits the DL racks at a front desk. Six panels on one sheet suit the content, so the piece is a tri-fold brochure rather than a flat flyer or a stitched pamphlet.

The specification is written as follows:

• Quantity and format: 1,000 A4 tri-fold brochures, folded to DL 99 × 210 mm.
• Stock: 157 gsm gloss art paper, which folds cleanly at this weight without a creasing pass.
• Printing: 4C/4C, built in CMYK.
• Finish: Matt lamination both sides, bonded to the flat sheet before folding.
• Artboard: Drawn at 216 × 303 mm, the flat A4 size plus 3 mm bleed.
• Panels: The tucked-in panel drawn about a millimetre narrower than the other two, with the fold lines on a separate FOLD layer.
• Margins: 7 mm clear of each fold and 5 mm from each trim.
• Offer placement: The headline and call to action on the front panel, the one that faces up in the rack.
• Timing: Standard turnaround is 7–14 working days. A tighter date would be raised as an express quotation, which is quoted per job.

If the same content later grew to several pages of detail, the team would move to an A5 saddle-stitched booklet with a 310 gsm matt art card cover and a page count divisible by four.

Frequently asked questions about flyers, leaflets, brochures and pamphlets

What is the difference between a flyer and a leaflet?

A flyer is one flat sheet read at a glance. A leaflet is the same single sheet, either flat or folded once or twice, so the two words overlap. When a leaflet is folded into panels that are read in order, it is specified as a brochure.

What is the difference between a brochure and a pamphlet?

A brochure is one sheet folded into panels, such as an A4 sheet folded to DL 99 × 210 mm. A pamphlet is a short booklet of several folded sheets bound together, usually saddle stitched, with a page count in multiples of four.

What size is a tri-fold brochure?

Flat A4 at 210 × 297 mm, folded to DL at 99 × 210 mm. That gives six panels, three on each side. The panel that tucks inside is cut about a millimetre narrower so the brochure closes flat.

What paper weight should a flyer or brochure be?

128–157 gsm gloss art paper suits hand-outs and brochures with four panels or more. 310–350 gsm matt art card suits a flyer that has to survive a bag or a two-panel bi-fold that should feel like a cover. Anything above 170 gsm is creased before it is folded.

How many pages can a stitched pamphlet have?

Saddle stitching takes page counts in multiples of four, from 8 pages to about 64. Perfect binding starts at about 40 pages and gives a square spine, and wire-O takes any page count and opens completely flat.

How can EZ Print help with flyers, brochures and booklets?

EZ Print prints flyers and leaflets, folded brochures and bound booklets in Singapore, and has done since 2017. Each job is quoted from its specification: size, stock, sides, fold or binding, and finish. Standard turnaround is 7–14 working days, express is quoted per job, and artwork is checked against the specification before production.

• Flyer and leaflet printing: A6 to A4 and DL, gloss art paper, matt art card or uncoated stock, flat or folded, with lamination, perforation and round-cornering.
• Brochure printing: bi-fold, tri-fold, Z fold, gate fold and roll fold, with creasing before folding, lamination and spot UV.
• Booklet printing: saddle stitch, perfect binding and wire-O for pamphlets, catalogues and company profiles.

For the brief itself, the guide to what to include in a flyer printing brief lists the details worth settling first. When the format is decided, send the size, stock, fold or page count and quantity through the quote request page.

Same-day and urgent printing available. Subject to artwork approval, payment, print type and production availability. Timing confirmed per job.