How To Fold Your Letters

[erpe]

Conversation is cute. I use A5 envelopes only. Business letters are folded, text on the inside, personal letters are not folded, text to the back of the envelope, extra blank page on top when it's "really" personal. Solves it all and the envelope will stick out in the mail

[Octo]

I was taught as Kiavonne was taught and also find that the most practical way of folding and inserting a letter into an envelope, whether sending OR receiving letters.

[Shaughn]

Well. it seems to me that the bottom lines are these:

 

Fold and tuck away the letter in such a way

 

1.: that the letter opener can do no damage

2.: the adressee's interests are served best i.e. he or she finds the opening words or finds his or hers privacy secured. whichever sender considers most important from addressee's point of view.

 

I think that goes for private and business correspondence.

Edited April 1, 2014 by Shaughn

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

For letters sent to children on their birthdays I often fold each page into an origami animal figure, then enclose that in the box with their prezzie. Though I've been told that such letters have sometimes gone unread because the child doesn't want to 'spoil' the animal figures.

 

For A4 business letters, I follow the method described by Member Shaughn: as most business letters are separated from their envelopes, the recipient date & subject are evident on the first page of the folded letter. For personal correspondence, the envelope is likely to be retained, and the contents are personal, so I fold those into thirds bottom-up then top-down.

 

However, if I've written over eight A4 sheets on <90gsm or over six pages on >90gsm those are either folded once page-by-page then collated, or sent flat.

 

A5s are folded once, either tops down or bottoms up.

 

For sheets over A4, I follow the ISO standard for folding drawings to the maximum practical extent, with the exception that the blank side of the sheets facing outwards after folding. I plan the sheet layout to avoid writing where the folds will be made.

 

When folding more that a few sheets a folding bone & straightedge often come to the party.

 

Bye,

S1

Edited April 1, 2014 by Sandy1

[JeffB]

So, when the envelope is wider than the paper, you fold the paper in thirds, as mentioned above. If the paper is bigger than the envelope, as when putting a sheet of 8.5x11 in. into a 6.25x3.5 in. envelope, the classic approach is: fold the sheet up so the bottom edge is about a half inch from the top edge and make the crease; turn the folded page 90 degrees clockwise; then fold the folded page into thirds, and insert into the envelope with the last fold up. The recipient will remove the page and undo three folds to open the sheet fully--two unfolds get back to the folded sheet, then open the folded sheet.

[Dickkooty2]

Of course, there are other ways to fold ...

 

http://s271.photobucket.com/user/dick168/media/ScreenShot2014-04-01at93941AM_zps80d78804.png.html?filters[user]=139176284&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=0

[kiavonne]

Do you have some pictures? Because i'm getting larger than one third and it's not fitting in my envelope. Do you mean fold up 2/3rds, instead of middle (half)?

 

Here you go:

 

http://kiavonne.smugmug.com/Writing-Miscellaneous/Other-Writing-Stuff/i-3Sc9fFV/0/L/folding%20business%20correspondence%2001-L.jpg http://kiavonne.smugmug.com/Writing-Miscellaneous/Other-Writing-Stuff/i-nTzp5Tv/0/L/folding%20business%20correspondence%2002-L.jpg

 

http://kiavonne.smugmug.com/Writing-Miscellaneous/Other-Writing-Stuff/i-T4BLnbp/0/L/folding%20business%20correspondence%2003-L.jpg http://kiavonne.smugmug.com/Writing-Miscellaneous/Other-Writing-Stuff/i-5GMzcH5/0/L/folding%20business%20correspondence%2004-L.jpg

 

http://kiavonne.smugmug.com/Writing-Miscellaneous/Other-Writing-Stuff/i-qnfLCxG/0/L/folding%20business%20correspondence%2005-L.jpg http://kiavonne.smugmug.com/Writing-Miscellaneous/Other-Writing-Stuff/i-LBb3wVS/0/L/folding%20business%20correspondence%2006-L.jpg (bent down just to shop top of page)

 

http://kiavonne.smugmug.com/Writing-Miscellaneous/Other-Writing-Stuff/i-KRk6jrj/0/L/folding%20business%20correspondence%2007-L.jpg http://kiavonne.smugmug.com/Writing-Miscellaneous/Other-Writing-Stuff/i-smncQqh/0/L/folding%20business%20correspondence%2008-L.jpg

 

http://kiavonne.smugmug.com/Writing-Miscellaneous/Other-Writing-Stuff/i-Jx6HTCs/0/L/folding%20business%20correspondence%2009-L.jpg http://kiavonne.smugmug.com/Writing-Miscellaneous/Other-Writing-Stuff/i-2S4K3qN/0/L/folding%20business%20correspondence%2010-L.jpg (supposedly a quick shake has unfolded to read)

[Mari1013]

Like Blade Runner, I prefer Monarch size (7-1/4 x 10-7/8 inches or so). I find it ideal size for personal correspondence, and its (now) somewhat unconventional size makes it stand out from among all the bills and appeals that come into our mailboxes every day. I loved Crane's and regret that it's no longer available, but American Stationery still offers that size, though they call it "executive stationery." I can't vouch for its quality, since I haven't had the opportunity to use it yet but intend to do so the next time I run low. I'm currently using a boxed set Levenger discontinued many years ago, "The Spencerian Legacy," which I got at a great price at the time, put away, and happily found not too long ago. However, I often use correspondence cards for short messages; blank notecards -- some store-bought, others received as gifts -- for birthdays or other occasions; and even hotel stationery if I like its design or the hotel. I try to fit the medium to the occasion and/or the recipient. (I also wrap children's presents in the Sunday funnies. Some things just feel right.)

 

As to folding, which is the subject at hand (I apologize for the long digression), I tend to do it the same way kiavonne does (great photos!). Most people I've seen open a piece of mail seem to follow a similar procedure (I'm thinking right-handed here; I haven't observed enough lefties to make generalizations): look at the front of the envelope to check for their name and the sender's; turn it over and either slit the top of the envelope with a letter opener or with the index finger or thumb, or, quite often, just savage it to pieces; grasp the free edge of the enclosed letter (folded as above, this would be the top of the page); shake it open; and read. That's why this set-up works. [Do any of you tear the side of the envelope, a la Johnny Carson's Karnak the Magnificent? I can't say I've ever seen anyone do that.] Correspondingly (no pun intended, or maybe yes), smaller blank stationery that folds in half is inserted open side up, whereas notecards -- engraved, embossed or printed -- go in folded-side-up and facing the back of the envelope. That's my rule based on my observations and preferences. I will also say that, while I do notice when a piece of mail has been handled in an unconventional or inconvenient way, I still love getting it and am grateful to the sender for thinking of me. [i know there are limits to this. When in college, I wrote a letter to a dear frend on a sheet of round stationery. I started at the outside edge and continued in a clockwise spiral, using no punctuation or breaks between words, to the very center of the page. She read it, but made me swear not to do that again. I never did.]

[wallylynn]

thanks for the photos! I was doing it wrong by folding in half, not thirds. If I understand correctly, you fold into thirds into a "tube", then flip the top to form the "z".

[Tolomeo]

Interesting about the round letter. I think I have seen letters written with the paper in a diamond shape i.e. with the points at the top bottom and sides and also written conventianally then at right angles.

 

For more personal letters I sometimes fold A4 in half twice, bottom to top then side to side and use a squarer size envelope (probably about A6). Somehow it seems more personal than the long business envelope. You just need to be carefull of the middle of the fold.

[TeeWee]

Long envelopes are perhaps more businesslike, but I also find long envelopes in expensive looking paper look extra nice. And currently, I'm using G. Lalo Verge de France envelopes, so they look really good I think. I'd love to get letters in such envelopes

 

Anyway, I've decided on the following:

 

For personal, I'd fold the top over the bottom, text inside, for privacy reasons.

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z262/TeeWeeHerman/FPN/2014-04-02174258.jpg

 

Letter in envelope in such a way the receiver can just sort of peek inside and see the first part of the letter.

 

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z262/TeeWeeHerman/FPN/2014-04-02174330.jpg

 

 

 

For business, I'd use a Z-fold. Seems a bit more business like, also allows me to use windowed envelopes if they are available.

The Z-fold:

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z262/TeeWeeHerman/FPN/2014-04-02174208.jpg

 

Letter in envelope (unless windowed, then orient letter according to window position:

 

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z262/TeeWeeHerman/FPN/2014-04-02174233.jpg

 

Thanks for the help everybody!

[Tolomeo]

I really like the long flaps on G Lalo Velin de France envelopes and the embossed logo just under the seal. Looks very classy in an understaed way.

[bogiesan]

For any size envelope/sheet:

1. Fold in half: bottom edge meets top edge, hiding the interior.

2. Turn to vertical orientation.

3. Fold into thirds: bottom edge up to just above center, top edge down to the new bottom edge.

[Runnin_Ute]

For A5 (or similar) into a standard #10 (business) envelope, I fold it in half vertically with text on the inside of the fold.

 

For A4/Letter into same standard #10 envelope, I fold into thirds. Usually with the top...(Dear...) on top. I think. Like you would business correspondence. On a multiple sheet letter it lays flatter than the top down way. When using a window envelope, I fold whatever is necessary in order to best fit the window. Usually an "off balance" thirds.

[BBU]

However, if I've written over eight A4 sheets on <90gsm or over six pages on >90gsm those are either folded once page-by-page then collated, or sent flat.

 

Just wondering, does anyone have more opinions on this? I'll be needing to fold approximately eight A4 pages of 100 gsm paper (and probably thicker than average for that weight, too) into thirds. When I try stacking them to see what it will be like, it's a full millimetre thick. Should one make the folds identically for each page or should the two creases be made progressively further apart to compensate for the paper thickness? Or should I just say bleep it and fold them together as usual?

[Dickkooty2]

As vexing a problem as the folding of a letter into an envelope is, equally as vexing is the problem of correct postage. Few know that St Paul's first letter to the Coronthians from Macedonia was returned for "insufficient postage".

Edited April 5, 2014 by Dickkooty2

[Bill Broome]

 

Or should I just say bleep it and fold them together as usual?

Bleep it and fold them all together into thirds. Anything else will confound the recipient.

 

If you cannot fold it because it is too thick, use a flat, letter-sized envelope.

[BiallaC]

Hi everyone,

 

I read all your replies and I thought it would be a great idea to make a video about folding a letter. So here it is:

 

I hope it is helpful.

 

Regards

~Chris

[zwack]

Ah but in the discussions of ISO versus "Imperial" paper sizes... Nobody mentioned Foolscap Folio.

 

Z

[stringsandpedals]

 

Should you ever receive a letter from me, this is probably what it would look like. Basically, the letter itself becomes the envelope. Very handy for poor students such as myself.

I stole this trick from my friend Greg about 6 years ago [x], and it’s been a letter-writing blast since then.

Edited April 17, 2016 by stringsandpedals