How to design a brochure that works online
A brochure built for print doesn't always read well on a screen. A few design choices make yours look great as an online flipbook.
A brochure designed for a printed leaflet and one designed to be read on a phone are not quite the same thing. Screens are backlit, smaller and interactive, and readers scan differently online. If you're planning to publish your brochure as a flipbook, these design choices will make it far more readable and engaging.
Design for the two-page spread
Flipbooks show two pages side by side, just like an open magazine. Design in spreads, not isolated pages: let a hero image run across both pages, and keep important content away from the very centre (the “gutter”) where the fold sits. A strong front cover matters too — it's the first thing readers see, so give it a clear title and a striking image.
Keep type large and legible
Body text that's comfortable in print can feel tiny on a phone. Aim for generous font sizes, plenty of line spacing, and short paragraphs. Sans-serif fonts tend to read more cleanly on screen. Avoid long lines of small text stretched across a full spread — break content into columns or blocks.
Mind contrast and colour
On screen, low-contrast combinations (light grey on white, pale text over a busy photo) become hard to read, and colours look brighter than in print. Use strong contrast between text and background, and put a solid or darkened panel behind text that sits on top of an image.
Add links and a table of contents
The biggest advantage of an online brochure is that it's interactive. Add real hyperlinks in your source document — to product pages, a contact form, a booking page — and they stay clickable inside the flipbook. Use heading styles so your PDF gets bookmarks and a clickable table of contents, letting readers jump straight to a section.
Think about accessibility
Good contrast and clear type help everyone, including readers with low vision. Use real text rather than text baked into images wherever you can, so it can be read aloud and indexed. Toombler also publishes a text version of each public flipbook, which helps screen readers and search engines understand your content.
Export and optimize
Export to PDF with bookmarks and hyperlinks enabled, then keep the file light so it loads fast — see our guide on reducing PDF file size. An even number of pages lets the book open and close neatly; Toombler adds a back cover automatically if your page count is odd.
Publish as a flipbook
Once your brochure is designed for screen, turning it into a flipbook keeps your layout intact and adds the page-turn experience, zoom and navigation that make an online brochure feel premium. See how to make one →
Frequently asked questions
What page size should an online brochure be?
Any standard size works, but a landscape or squarish format often reads better on screens than a tall, narrow page. Consistency matters more than the exact dimensions.
Should I design single pages or spreads?
Design in two-page spreads, since flipbooks display pages side by side. Keep key elements away from the centre fold.
Can I keep my print brochure and make an online version?
Yes. Export a screen-optimized PDF from the same source file, add links and bookmarks, and publish that as the flipbook.