Into The Fold

Have you ever folded a piece of paper and it either doesn’t hold well or just doesn’t have the sharp edge that you see with professionally printed material? Today I want to share one of my favorite tips; how to get crisp folds. Never again do you have to suffer with mediocre folds (yup, that’s what people have been saying behind your back).

All you need is a ruler, exacto knife & a cutting mat. I’ll demonstrate on the goofy little table cards that I made for the Easter dinner I hosted. I decided to focus on the combo holiday Easter/April Fools day because it’s not every year that those holidays coincide, and I think my family got a giggle out of it. Except maybe my dad. (Sorry Dad.)

1. If the piece you are folding needs to be cut out from the page it’s printed on, you need to do that first. However, if you are just folding a page as is, like making a card out of a sheet of paper, then you don’t need to worry about that step.
2. Once your paper is ready all you have to do is place the ruler where you want the fold and then, instead of using the blade side of your exacto knife, you need to flip it over and use the back of the blade.

3. At this point score the paper across the entire fold. Be sure not to press too hard or you may actually cut through the paper. Using a light pressure should be enough. When I first started doing this I did have to practice a few times to get the the hang of it. If this is your first time, you may want to practice on a scrap paper first and then try it on the real thing.

4. After you have scored the paper you will easily be able to fold it. This works on all kinds of paper; printer paper, cardstock, construction paper, etc. I’ve used this trick for a variety of projects; creating mock-ups for a client, making a simple homemade card, or even silly table cards for a party.

Let me know if this was helpful or if you have any questions. As I’m documenting this journey I want to provide as much value as possible, so if there is anything you would find interesting or would like to hear more about, please let me know.