How To Fold Paper Into An Envelope

Making your own envelopes from a sheet of paper is deceptively simple and takes hardly any time.

It is a great way to add a fun personal touch to your greeting cards and means that your envelope becomes fully customizable. All you need is paper, tape, and glue and you are ready to get going. 

This is also a great activity to do with kids. There are no scissors involved, making it super safe for them to do alone once they have mastered the basic folding techniques. You will never run out of envelopes again!

Pouch Envelope

What Will You Need

• Paper that is twice as large as the envelope you wish to make
  • If you are confused about this, then a standard sheet of 8.5 by 11-inch letter paper (or a sheet of A4 paper) will do
• Scotch tape 
  • If you wish to be more environmentally friendly, washi tape or masking tape are more eco-friendly alternatives
• PVA glue 

Method

The first thing that you will need to do is to fold the paper in half along the long edge. This will create a rectangle that is 8.5 by around 10.5 inches. Make sure that you press firmly across the fold to create a very sharp edge.

Grab your tape of choice and use this to seal up the left and right edges of the paper. This will leave you with a small pouch that is open at the top. 

Fold down the top edge by about half an inch to an inch. This creates a small flap at the top to prevent your letter from falling out of the envelope. 

Once you have inserted your letter into the envelope, use the glue to seal together the edges of the flap you created. This holds your letter more firmly inside. Alternatively, you can use tape or stickers to seal this flap down. 

Taped envelope

What Will You Need

• Paper that is twice as large as the envelope you wish to make
  • If you are confused about this, then a standard sheet of 8.5 by 11-inch letter paper (or a sheet of A4 paper) will do
• Scotch tape 
  • If you wish to be more environmentally friendly, washi tape or masking tape are more eco-friendly alternatives

Method

Lay your sheet of paper down on the work surface in a landscape orientation and fold it in half lengthwise. This will create an 11.5 by 4.25-inch rectangle. Again, ensure  you press firmly across the fold to score it cleanly.

Once you have made this fold, open the paper back up so that you can see the crease running down the center. 

Lay the unfolded paper in a portrait orientation and grab the top right corner. Fold this into the center, so that the corner and the top edge of the paper lie along the crease.

This should make a small triangle shape in the top corner. Fold down and press firmly along the crease. 

Repeat this process with the top left corner. This will make your paper look sort of like an arrow. 

Fold the long left and right sides over towards the center by about an inch on either side. This should leave plenty of space in the middle for a letter to fit. 

You will still have a long rectangular section of paper underneath the triangle you made.

Grab this and fold it so the straight edge is aligned with the bottom edge of the triangle. Press firmly down along the fold to create a solid crease. 

Unfold the paper again to show the long arrow shape. Use this moment to fold your letter to an appropriate size to fit into the envelope you have made. Place it inside the letter space. 

Fold along the creases you made to return the paper into an envelope shape. The back of your envelope will closely resemble the envelopes you see in stores. 

Use the tape to secure all of the edges closed. We strongly recommend closing the envelope flap with tape too, especially if you wish to post it. 

Square Envelope

What Will You Need

• Square sheet of paper that is larger than your square letter
  • If you are trying to envelop an 8.5 x 11-inch card, you will need a 12-inch square piece of paper
  • If you are trying to envelop a 4 x 5-inch card, you will need a 7-inch square piece of paper

• Scotch tape 
  • If you wish to be more environmentally friendly, washi tape or masking tape are more eco-friendly alternatives

Method

Lay the square of paper flat on your work surface with the corners pointing upwards, so that the paper resembles a diamond. 

Fold the square in half diagonally, so that the corners are aligned. This will make a triangular shape. Press firmly across the fold to score it and then unfold the sheet of paper.

Repeat this with the other 2 corners. You will then be left with a diamond with a cross-shaped fold mark in the center. 

Lie the paper flat in a diamond shape again. Grab the bottom corner and fold it up into the center of the cross that you just made. Fold this section up again, along the center crease line. This will make a triangle shape. 

Grab the left corner and fold it into the middle. The point should fall slightly to the right of the center crease. Repeat this process with the right corner. 

Fold back the tip of the right corner, so that it aligns perfectly with the vertical crease in the center. You will notice a small triangle forming. Flatten this out so that it opens, making a small diamond shape with a fold in the middle. 

Fold the top edge down and insert the corner into the small diamond that you made. Use tape to secure any loose edges of the envelope and insert your letter. Fold to close and secure the flap with tape.