Print Flyers: How to Use, Design, & Print
Flyers are a simple, straightforward tool to disseminate information, whether they’re meant to educate, advertise, promote, or entertain.
But what are flyers, and what makes them different from other similar products? Is there a difference between printing flyers on your own compared to working with a professional company?
These questions and more are answered just below, so read on for the details:
Most businesses need supplementary paperwork of some kind. If you’re part of a larger organization or you simply don’t have the time to manage the printing process yourself, talk to a local printing company like JH French to learn how they can manage your project for you.
Flyers can come in all styles and designs.
What are Flyers?
Description
Flyers are printed, single-sheet products usually meant for marketing purposes. They’re usually a smaller size than the standard US Letter paper size, and they’re usually thin and affordable to produce.
Even though marketing is their most common function, flyers can be used to present whatever type of information you like.
Flyers are sometimes also referred to as “leaflets,” because both terms roughly refer to a small single-sheet promotional material. Leaflets are sometimes thought of as being higher quality than flyers, but the difference is only slight.
Application
Their simple form and printing process make flyers exceptionally versatile.
You are free to use flyers however you like, but here are some of the more common ways that individuals and organizations make use of this flexible product.
Flyers can be used to:
Promote a limited-time sale,
Promote a concert or live event,
Provide information about a location or thing, such as during a city tour or at a museum,
Advertise services, like plumbing or HVAC,
Spread awareness of a cause,
Inform people about a political campaign or municipal update, such as details about upcoming construction,
Remind potential customers about details regarding your business,
Instruct people on how to play a game, order from a menu, how to use a computer, or anything else you can think of!
Remember that flyers are typically made using thin paper. People won’t keep a flyer long-term after receiving it. Because of their limited shelf life, they’re best for disseminating information that is only important for a short period of time.
Their affordability makes flyers a great choice for many events.
How to Print Flyers
There are two ways to print flyers: you can either do it yourself, or get a pro company to do it for you.
If you’re unfamiliar with printing software, below is a quick intro to the user interfaces you’re most likely to encounter.
Generally, if you want to print flyers in volumes of 50 copies or more, or you want to make sure your flyers have sharp, professional graphics, you should get a professional printing company to do the work instead.
DIY
If you want to print flyers yourself, you will likely be using a consumer-standard computer to print on a regular home or office-quality printer.
The two most common pieces of software that people print with are Microsoft Word and Google Docs, both of which are explained below.
If you need graphic design assistance, JH French can help. Additionally, we have a variety of design-related blog articles on our blog, and there are many free flyer templates you can find online to inspire your project.
Printing With MS Word
This process assumes you’re printing a single-page flyer.
Select “Show Quick Preview” to see an example of your flyer.
Complete the design of your flyer on MS Word, to the point where all aspects of the graphics and content are edited and finalized.
With your document open, hit [Control] + [P] on your keyboard, or browse to [File] -> [Print]. This will bring up a window similar to the image above.
Choose which printer you want to print from.
Choose whether or not you want your flyer to be black and white.
Choose how many copies you want to print.
Choose whether or not you want to print on both sides of the paper. Not all printers will include this option
Click “Print,” and your printer will print the indicated number of copies.
Remember to put enough paper into your printer to produce enough copies. If your printer runs out of paper partway through the process, it should alert you so you can add more.
Printing With Google Docs
You can click “Open PDF in Preview” to see an example of the finished flyer.
Complete the design of your flyer on Google Docs, to the point where all aspects of the graphics and content are edited and finalized.
With your document open, hit [Control] + [P] on your keyboard, or browse to [File] -> [Print]. This will bring up a window similar to the image above.
For “Destination,” choose which printer you want to print from.
If you want to print multiple flyers per US Letter sheet of paper, you can select that under “Pages per sheet.” your flyers
Click “Print,” and your printer will print a copy of your document. In the standard Google Docs printing interface, there is no way to print multiple copies of the same document, so you will need to re-do this process as many times as you need copies.
Remember to put enough paper into your printer to produce enough copies. If your printer runs out of paper partway through the process, it should alert you so you can add more.
Limitations to DIY
The two major limitations to large-scale printing on your own are labour and quality.
Labour - It takes a lot of time and organization to print more than a few dozen copies of a document on your own.
Quality - Many home laser printers, or even office-quality offset printers, lack the ability to deliver consistent, sharp quality over multiple copies. The printers used by professional companies are a league above consumer-grade printers, and deliver much better quality.
A professional printing company offers many benefits you can’t get at home.
Professional Printing
Working with a professional print company has many benefits:
Project Assistance - Print shops like JH French offer logistical assistance such as graphic design, project management, and even mailing services, making the printing process far smoother.
Time Saving - Your time is valuable. Don’t waste it if you don’t have to, and give the work to a pro company instead.
High Quality - Pro print shops have large, expensive, industrial printers, that can deliver a consistent level of quality no matter how many copies of a flyer you want to print.
If you have any questions about what the process of placing a large order with a pro print company would be like, we’d be happy to answer your questions as best we can.
Flyers vs. Other Products
If flyers aren’t quite what you had in mind for your product, there are many other similar options you can consider instead.
Here’s a brief overview of the most common types of small printed items that companies order:
Flyers - As mentioned above, flyers are usually single-sheet papers printed in large volumes that can contain whatever information you like. They aren’t usually meant to be very durable, but they’re versatile and get the job done.
Pamphlets/Brochures - These terms usually refer to sheets with information printed on both sides that are formatted to be folded either once or twice to create a small booklet-style product.
While the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, “pamphlet” generally refers to items meant to educate the reader on something, while “brochure” refers to items meant to advertise something to the reader.
Posters - Often similar in content to flyers, posters are typically larger and made of tougher stationary, or even laminated, so that they can be hung for a few weeks to announce some event.
If you want to go the poster route, the graphics should be bolder and more noticeable, and you also won’t need as many. Many people actually use posters alongside other methods of promotion.
Cards - Cards are smaller, ranging from 5.5 x 3.5 inches (140 mm x 90 mm) to 9.6 x 6.1 inches (245 mm x 156 mm). They can be handed out like flyers or brochures, but are often chosen because they can be purchased alongside envelopes and mailed directly to the people you want to receive them.
If you want to print a large amount of cards, each with slightly different personal or address details, consider using Variable Data Printing.
There are no rules about what print products you can or can’t use. Just explain your need to your local custom printing shop, and they should be able to work with you to find a solution that best satisfies your need.
JH French & Co. Limited
With state of the art equipment and excellent customer service, JH French has been serving the local Hamilton area and shipping across Canada for over 100 years.
Specializing in large business orders, we offer everything from digital printing to traditional letterpress printing.
If you want advice on which of our products would suit your specific needs, or you need an explanation for any of our other products or services, give us a call today and we’d be happy to answer any and all of your questions.
Get in Touch!
Phone
(905) 528-8385
Email
customerservice@jhfrench.com
Address
293 Mary Street
Hamilton, ON, L8L 4W3
“Highly recommend! They are so patient and accommodating - I came at them with some unrealistic timelines and they not only met our goal, but made it stress-free. They do fantastic work with 5-star customer service!”