The Ultimate Flyer Size Guide for Design and Print
Keep this flyer size guide on hand as you embark on creating new marketing assets. Knowing which size to use and when to use it ensures that your message is seen, no matter where it s hung up or handed out.
Fun fact: Flyers are one of the most popular print categories online because their sizing works well on home/office printers in addition to print shops.
The Most Common Flyer Sizes for Print Marketing
You can customize your flyers to be any size that works for your business and marketing goals. However, if you select sizes that are unique or less commonly used, you may pay more money for the custom print process. At MyCreativeShop, we offer flyers in three common sizes that will work for nearly any marketing need:
- Standard: 8.5 x 11 inches
- Rack Cards: 4 x 9 inches
- Half Sheet: 5.5 x 8.5 inches
When selecting the proper size for your printed materials, consider both your message and your method of distribution.
Related article: 15 Small Business Flyer Ideas for Better Marketing (Plus Templates)
When to Use Standard Flyers
Flyer size: 8.5 x 11 inches
Standard flyers are an incredibly versatile marketing tool and can make a big impact whether they are a one-sided design hung on a bulletin board or in a window, or a double-sided flyer distributed by hand or folded and mailed in an envelope.
Get familiar with your audience so that you can determine where they spend the most time, then hang your flyer in those locations for maximum exposure. For example, coffee shops, libraries, and local grocery stores are good for reaching parents. You'll find fur-parents in your neighborhood pet supply store or dog park, and gyms, community centers, and other workplaces and breakrooms cover most of the remaining target populations. Mailing your flyers also allows you to reach people where they live or work.
There are innumerable ways to employ a standard-sized flyer. For now, let's consider these three:
Related article: 10 Ways to Use Flyers for Restaurant Promotions
1. Promote a Sale, Event, or New Product
The standard flyer size gives you more space to work with, making it easier to catch the attention of your prospective customers. Images and headlines can be larger so they can be seen from further away while still leaving room for other important details.
Use a standard flyer to promote your sale or event days or even weeks ahead of time. James Manes from Medium says, With flyers, there is a strange kind of curiosity. Unlike emails, people are not in a hurry to trash it, which automatically ups the chances of your flyer getting read.
2. Connect New Clients to Your Care Business
Whether you have your own babysitting service, childcare center, or pet-related care business, standard-sized flyers hung or distributed in strategic locations are a no-brainer when it comes to your marketing plan.
The bright colors and bold font of your flyer will catch the eye of harried parents of tiny humans and furbabies alike as they go about their regular slate of household errands. Your flyer presents an immediate solution to a problem they are in the midst of experiencing, making it the ideal format for getting your message out!
3. Share the Details of Your Upcoming Class, Conference, or Campaign
The space and portability of a standard-sized flyer allow it to function as a giant invitation - to a yoga class, church conference, or voting booth. Connecting with students, attendees, and voters in a simple but powerful way can make a big impact.
Utilize this cost-effective flyer size to keep your marketing costs low and your attendance (and voter turnout!) high.
When to Use Rack Card Flyers
Flyer size: 4 x 9 inches
Rack card flyers are ideal for in-person handouts or mailed advertisements. They re small enough for people to carry without being too intrusive. Because they re smaller, you need to be careful with your design. Images with small details or large blocks of text may appear squished.
Again, there are so many opportunities to use a rack card effectively. Here are three to check out:
1. Restaurant Take Out Menus
It s no secret that consumers enjoy ordering take out from restaurants, which means you need an off-premise strategy. Paul Kalms, partner at Virtual Restaurant Consulting LLC, confirms: "With nearly 50 percent of total restaurant orders now consumed off-premise, and this percentage expected to grow, all restaurateurs need an off-premise dining strategy."
Part of your off-premise strategy is creating take out menus. Printing menus on rack cards ensures your menu is always available to customers, whether you send them in the mail or set them out at the front of your restaurant. Don t forget to include coupons on the menu as an incentive to try your new dishes or best sellers.
Related templates: Take Out Menu Templates
2. Travel Packages and Guides
According to TrekkSoft, vacation bookings made through agents and local tourist offices increased from 2017 to 2018. Use rack cards to promote the services or vacations you re offering and add a special discount code that will encourage your audience to come in and book face-to-face.
3. Marketing Handouts at Events
Events are considered the single most valuable marketing channel, according to a report from Bizzabo, and for good reason. After meeting face-to-face, you can make sure these potential customers or clients remember your brand with rack card flyers. This size is ideal for events because it s easy for attendees to carry around in their swag bag.
When to Use Half Sheet Flyers
Flyer size: 5.5 x 8.5 inches
Half sheet flyers are one of the most common sizes used because of their affordable printing costs. Like the name implies, half sheet flyers take up half of a full sheet of standard print paper, so you get two flyers for each sheet printed hence the savings.
Here are a handful of ways you can use half sheet flyers for your small business or event marketing:
1. Church Bulletin Inserts
Half sheet flyers fit perfectly inside an 8.5" x 11" bi-fold church bulletin brochure. Utilize this size to invite your congregation to attend a conference, give of their time to help the community, or join a new Bible study.
Between the folds of a church bulletin is also a great location for promoting your Bible camp or youth missions trip. Share your message with those it's meant for!
2. Party and Event Flyers
Promote your next fundraising, live music, or sporting event with a super-portable (and cost-effective!) half sheet flyer. The familiar size is easily shared from person to person and provides plenty of space for all the key details. Keep it simple and you'll be successful!
3. School or Activity Flyers
Encourage your students (and their parents) to attend all of your back to school activities or join a club or sports team that fits their passion. Half sheet flyers placed in backpacks or folders are also a great way to get the word out about other opportunities available outside of the school system, like music lessons, tutoring, and community offerings.
Flyer Design Tips for All Sizes
Regardless of their intended use or size, the quality of your flyers will reflect on your overall brand. According to FedEx, 90 percent of consumers believe there is a direct representation between a company s printed materials and quality of services. That s why it s important to keep these best practices in mind when designing your flyers:
- Colors and spacing: You may be tempted to think that bright colors are the only way to attract attention. In reality, the attraction comes from both the color choice and the color contrast. The bold juxtaposition of black and white can be just as effective, if not more so, as using a super bright red. Use colors that align with your brand identity while also making wise choices that take advantage of color psychology as laid out by Changing Minds.
- Clear image: Draw your audience in with compelling images that illustrate your product or service and create an emotional response.
- Powerful message: Your text should have a clear, eye-catching headline and concise, yet descriptive, body copy that clearly explains the point of your flyer.
- Call to Action: Compel the reader to take action with persuasive and relevant phrasing.
- Contact information: Include your company name, logo, phone number, and website. You could also include your address and hours of operation, depending on the purpose of your flyer.
Related articles: Color Psychology for Print Marketing: What You Need to Know How to Choose the Best Images for Your Flyer Design
Keep Our Flyer Size Guide Close
Flyers are a traditional print marketing tactic that still works for small business owners, school administrators, churches, and more. Get creative with your designs while using this flyer size guide to make sure you achieve maximum impact!
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