Postcards, Flyers, Brochures, or Door Hangers: Matching the Print to the Job

When a small business decides to do a print marketing push, the format question comes up fast - and the four most common answers get lumped together more than they should. Postcards, flyers, brochures, and door hangers are all low-minimum, quick-turnaround print products, but they're built for different jobs. Here's what actually separates them.

Postcards

Postcards are printed on durable 14pt coated cardstock with a semi-gloss finish, sized to be mailed or handed out directly. Because they don't need an envelope or a fold, they're built for a single, immediate message - a promotion, a sale date, an event invite - that someone reads in the few seconds before deciding whether to keep it. Restaurants, real estate agents, and event planners use them the most, precisely because the format forces the message to stay short.

Flyers

Flyers are printed on 100lb gloss text paper in nearly any size, which makes them the most flexible format of the four. They work as a single loose sheet for a community bulletin board, a stack at a retail counter, a restaurant table insert, or a direct mail piece - anywhere a message needs more room than a postcard but doesn't need to fold or bind. If you're not sure which format fits, a flyer is usually the safest default.

Brochures

Brochures take that same 100lb gloss text paper and fold it, which buys room for a full narrative instead of one message - a product catalog, a service menu, an event program, a multi-page pitch. Several fold styles are available, so the layout can be built around how much information actually needs to fit. Reach for a brochure when a flyer would feel cramped.

Door Hangers

Door Hangers are printed on durable semi-glossy or matte cardstock with a die-cut hole and slit built in for hanging directly on a door handle. That single feature changes the whole delivery model - instead of being mailed or handed out, a door hanger gets physically placed at a specific address, which makes it the format of choice for hyper-local campaigns: real estate farming a neighbourhood, service businesses canvassing a street, or a political campaign covering a ward. Nothing else on this list guarantees the same doorstep placement.

Matching the format to the goal

If the message is short and needs to travel by mail, pick a postcard. If it needs flexible sizing and general handout use, pick a flyer. If there's real content to organize - multiple products, services, or event details - pick a brochure. And if the campaign lives or dies on reaching specific doors in a specific neighbourhood, nothing beats a door hanger for guaranteed placement.