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How to: Accordion Folds

Accordion folds, named for their zig-zag appearance, typically consist of 6 to 12 panels of equal dimensions. This folds are often found in brochures, invitations, cards and small booklets. If you wish to create an accordion fold booklet or brochure, plan out the folds before adding art, text and images to the paper. An improperly planned booklet often suffers from folds that dissect images or text, making the booklet difficult to read and aesthetically displeasing.

Things You'll Need

  • Bone folder
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Instructions

    • 1

      Place the paper on a flat surface. The paper should be situated so that the folds will be created vertically.

    • 2

      Grasp the right-edge of the paper and pull it towards the left-edge of the paper, until the two edges meet. This dissects the paper vertically, creating two equal portions.

    • 3

      Place your bone folder over the fold, in the center of the crease. Push it upwards to create a deeper crease. Place the bone folder in the center of the fold again and push it downwards.

    • 4

      Grasp the left-edge of the paper and bring it towards the right-edge of the paper, creating a vertical fold. Smooth the fold using the bone folder.

    • 5

      Turn the paper over, so that the wider portion of the paper faces upwards. Grasp the unfolded edge of the paper and bring it to the folded edge, creating another vertical fold. Smooth the fold with the bone folder.

    • 6

      Grasp the folded edge of the paper and bring it to the unfolded edge, creating another vertical fold. Smooth this edge and turn the paper over. Repeat the process on the other side.

    • 7

      Unfold the paper so that the fold in the middle of the paper is a valley fold. Push the edges of the paper under the paper, so that they are not visible.

    • 8

      Bring the right-edge of the paper to the valley fold in the middle of the paper, creating another vertical fold. Repeat this process on the left-side.

    • 9

      Grasp the right and left edges of the paper and bend them backwards, creating another fold in the center of the paper. Smooth the fold with a bone folder and unfold the paper.

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