How to tell how many printed pages (PP) are in your brochure

The number of printed pages in a document are a constant source of confusion for less experienced graphic designers and print customers.

When we refer to page numbers (printed pages – usually when printing and designing brochures, but also on folded leaflets and other booklets), this is the number of printed sides.

We may also use the abbreviation ‘pp’, eg 4pp, which stands for printed pages, but is in effect the number of ‘printed sides’.

So for example…

An A4, 8pp brochure would consist of:
2 x A3 sheets of paper folded in half and bound or stitched (stapled) together,
Each A3 sheet folded in half makes four A4 pages.

Printed pages in brochures, booklets or books are always multiples of 4

A brochure must always be a multiple of 4 pages in total as each folded section will make 4 pages.

There are possible exceptions to this when using features such as throw-outs – where an extra page will fold out from the cover.

Another exception is when the binding is perfect bound, because the pages are collated differently during the binding process it is possible to add single sheets to a brochure – so a 48pp brochure could become a 50pp brochure if this type of binding is used.

As always, if you’re ever unsure or need help working our the number of printed pages in your brochure design then give me (Josh) a call I’ll be delighted to help!

Read more about printed pages and other design related terms

Head towards our glossary section for helpful printing and design terminology.