How to Create a Bi-Fold Document in Word

Included with the Microsoft Office software suite, Microsoft Word is a word-processing application that allows you to make edits to print-formatted documents such as letters, envelopes, labels and forms. Microsoft Word 2007 and Word 2010 also give you the ability to define specialized formats, including bi-folding publications that can be used as brochures or programs. Once you understand how to set the proper options, creating a bi-fold document in Word becomes a quick task.

Instructions

1. Click the "File" or "Office" button near the top-left corner of the Microsoft Word window, select "New" and then double-click the "Blank document" option.

2. Select the "Page Layout" tab near the top of the Microsoft Word window. Click the "Orientation" button and select "Landscape."

3. Click the "Size" button and select your preferred document size from the resulting menu. To define a custom size, click "More Paper Sizes," enter your preferred width and height in the corresponding fields and click "OK." Click the "Columns" button and select "Two."

4. Click the "Margins" button and select your preferred margin settings from the resulting menu. To define a custom set of margins, click "Custom Margins," enter your preferred values in the "Top," "Bottom," "Left" and "Right" fields and click "OK."

5. Add the content for the back cover of the document in the left-hand column on the first page. Once complete, click the "Breaks" button on the Page Layout tab near the top of the window and select "Column."

6. Add the content for the front cover of the document in the right-hand column on the first page. Once complete, click the "Breaks" button and select "Page."

7. Add the content for the inside-left portion of the document in the left-hand column on the newly created second page. Once complete, click the "Breaks" button and select "Column."

8. Add the content for the inside-right portion of the document in the right-hand column on the second page.

9. Click the "File" or "Office" button and select "Save." Give the file a name, select a save location and then click "Save" to confirm your choices and save your bi-fold document.

References

• Microsoft Office Word: Insert a Section Break
• Addictive Tips: Office Word 2010 Format/Formatting
• BrightHub: How to Use Microsoft Word Brochure Templates