The bifold, tri-panel brochure, often given the misnomer "trifold", is constructed by folding a 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper twice to create 3 panels on each side. It is the brochure type most commonly used by small business because it can be mailed in a standard #10 envelope. Tri-fold brochure layout 1. Front cover The front cover should be visually appealing and provide enough content to invite the reader to open the piece and read more. Many companies simply rely on the logo, company name, a great "tag line" that sums up their products/services. This is the approach we recommend. Some companies want to bullet some items on the front, but remember that space is limited. You can easily go overboard and ruin the piece with too much clutter. 2. Back cover Don’t put anything on the back cover other than contact information. This is the panel that people are least likely to read, so if you put an important message there, it will be lost. If you own a small company, you may want to consider just listing phone/fax numbers, website address, and email contacts and leaving the physical address off. This gives your brochure more shelf life if you move. 3. Inside front panel This is the most important panel of the piece. We recommend that you use it to summarize why the customer should choose you. It is also a good location for a glowing testimonial. While this is the most important panel, we recommend that you write it last. By writing the inside spread first, you will have a better idea of what you want to summarize on the inside front panel. The inside front panel also is a great place for your phone number and/or website address. 4. Inside three-panel spread When you open the piece fully, you have three full panels to write a complete description of your company and what it does. Here are some ideas to get you going.