The influence of preparation variables on the dispersion of supported palladium catalysts was assessed in this study. Supported Pd catalysts were prepared using two precursors, four surface area support materials, and two aqueous deposition methods. The catalysts were characterized by hydrogen chemisorption, carbon monoxide chemisorption, and the hydrogen titration reaction. Furthermore, XRD measurements were used to calculate crystallite sizes and dispersion for samples with high Pd loadings or for samples that had been sintered. An excess water method involving ion exchange usually produced better dispersions than the incipient wetness method, although less than half of the Pd in solution exchanged onto the surface of carbon. The palladium tetra-ammine nitrate salt usually gave equal or slightly better dispersion than did the PdCl2. The metal loading had less of an effect on the alumina than it did on the silica. Sintering substantially reduced the dispersion, provided the metal loading was high enough, i.e. 4 to 6%. Overall, a wide range of dispersions was obtained with the silica and alumina catalysts. Less variety was achieved for carbon, with a range of 13-31% dispersion. The incipient wetness technique yielded a dispersion significantly higher, although little Pd may have exchanged onto the surface. Atomic absorption spectroscopy gave inconsistent values for the actual % Pd in some silica and titania samples. More accurate values are needed for the Pd weight loading because the final dispersions are based on these values, especially for those catalysts with very low loadings.