The half-Letter brochure
A half-Letter brochure is a bound, multi-page publication at 5.5 × 8.5 in — the compact US size, close to A5.
Page size5.5 × 8.5 in
OrientationPortrait or landscape
TypeBound, multi-page
FilesLayered PSD, smart objects
This is the compact end of US booklets — half a Letter page, the North American counterpart to A5. The smaller size changes the job: it's light to carry, cheap to print and mail, and easy to hand over, so it suits things people take away rather than file. Programmes and event guides, product and menu booklets, catalogues, manuals and instruction booklets, membership and welcome packs — anything that wants a few pages without the bulk or cost of a full-size brochure.
The small page shapes the layout more than a big one does, since margins and type eat proportionally more of it — so it rewards a clean single column and restraint over a crowded grid. Held upright it's the pocketable booklet that reads like a little book; turned landscape the same size makes a wide, tactile format that's nice for photography and product lines. It's a hair different in proportion from A5, so artwork built to the A-series needs its margins refitted rather than simply scaled down.
In the sets: closed on the cover, open on a spread and shot from above, so you can present the cover and an inside spread together. Each is a layered PSD with smart objects — the artwork sits on its own layer, so replacing it leaves the paper, lighting and shadow untouched.