Flyer size

[Stribor45]

I want to create flyer but I am trying to figure out the best way to set my canvas so the user can easily print this in different sizes of paper. any advice? what size of canvas should I set?

[Barb Binder]

First of all, I would choose InDesign or Illustrator over Photoshop for creating flyers. Photoshop is, at heart, a photo editing program. I know people create documents in Photoshop—and we even had one forum participant who created a magazine in Photoshop—and then spent hours with us trying to figure out how to port it over to InDesign because he realized it was a bad idea. Using Photoshop for page layout is neither an efficient or effective workflow.

But if your heart is set on Photoshop, I'd encourage you to create a document that is 8.5 x 11 (or 11 by 8.5). If you are distributing it via PDF, there are scaling options in the Print Dialog box including "Fit" which scales the printed file up or down to fit the paper loaded in the printer. Most people will have 8.5 x 11 loaded.

[davescm]

.............. Most people will have 8.5 x 11 loaded.

Or A4 if you are in Europe

Dave

[Derek Cross]

Or A5 !

[davescm]

Your right Derek.

At least in the A* sizes the Aspect Ratio remains the same.

Dave

[Barb Binder]

Dave and Derek—boy, I blew it on that one. After a year on these forums, I can't believe I forgot to think about international paper sizes. 

So, Stribor45​ , I'm sticking with my answer of picking the most common paper size—which varies by location—knowing that they can scale when they print if you distribute via PDF. And FYI, if you decide to use InDesign, you can actually make the flyer in various sizes in a single document using a feature called Alternate Layouts.

~Barb

[Stribor45]

I understand that they can scale down but if I make my canvas 8x10 what happens if they want to print 11 x 8.5?

[davescm]

The scaling is not a massive issue, but those two sizes (8x10 and 11x8.5) have different aspect ratios so some either cropping would also be required or a margin introduced . Whilst that is easy on a photograph, it could be awkward on your text layout.

Dave

[Derek Cross]

Why do you want your user to be able to print the flyer out at different sizes? Just wonderin'.

[Stribor45]

well customer does not seem to know what size he will print

[Barb Binder]

Uh oh. After 30 years of laying out publications for clients, I'd say that's a red flag warning. If the customer can't pick the paper size, how will (s)he settle on typeface, style, spacing, colors, images, etc?

[Nexahs1138]

You people are very strange and confusing, we all used the same A4 and then Regan goes and makes it a tiny bit smaller and wider.

A4 in inches is 8.27 × 11.69 or 8.3 × 11.7 and in mm it's 210 x 297, whereas your US letter is 215.9 by 279.4... that's just madness.

[Test Screen Name]

So the US used to use A4 size until Ronald Reagan changed everyone to 11 x 8.5 inches? Well, I never knew that, but I'm a Brit, what do I know...

[Barb Binder]

Yes, we are, in so many ways. And I must confess, I never thought about the why behind the variation in paper sizes, and had no idea the Reagan administration played a role in this madness. I was young—but I do remember the efforts made to get us to switch from imperial to metric and it not going well for any of us.

[postrophe]

Hi

Lol, Barb, try to work in Canada and you will be more confuse. (US imperial + Metric system). We resort in using decimal inches lot's of the time.

Pierre

[davescm]

Nexahs1138  wrote

we all used the same A4 and then Regan goes and makes it a tiny bit smaller and wider.

Not quite
USA letter size had been in use since the 1920s . Ronald Reagan standardised government letters on that size. Previously they had used 8.0" x 10.5" which is not A4.

The UK used Imperial sizes - Foolscap (which I remember well from my youth) measured 8"x13" =203.2"x330.2"

Interestingly though this diversion is, BarbBinder deserves the correct answer from her first post - "........choose InDesign or Illustrator over Photoshop for creating flyers..........."

Dave