Folding in typography

When holding booklets, brochures, cards, or other printed products in your hands, you have probably noticed the even curves that help to give the product the desired shape. This is paper folding.

What is folding in printing

Folding (German “falzen” — “to bend” and “fold”) is the process of folding printed sheets, as a result of which smooth fold lines are formed on the finished printed product. These very lines are called rebates, and depending on the type of your product, there can be one or several folds.

In the PrintGroup printing house (Printgroup) we provide a paper folding service both separately and in combination with printing products. Therefore, we will be happy to help you and provide you with quality service, thanks to the latest equipment.

Folding methods

The folding process can be either manual (for small print runs) or automatic. Machine folding is more popular because it is used for large print runs and takes less time than manual-folding. This process is carried out using rotary machines during printing, or using special equipment for paper folding. But if your circulation is small, it is better to choose manual-folding, its quality will not be inferior to the automatic one.

Types of paper folding

When developing a product design, you should take into account that there are several types of folding that will help make your product more interesting. Among them:

• Parallel folding;
• Perpendicular;
• Combined;
• Symmetrical;
• Offset folding.

Also, when folding drawings, you can choose which one you need:

• with the spine (for further stitching)
• without spine (for easy storage, but without stitching)

What determines the quality of folding

Every process of manufacturing printing products requires careful control, and folding is no exception. Its quality can be influenced by several factors that must be taken into account by both the printing house and the client if he wants to order paper folding in Riga. With good folding, the finished product will have the correct arrangement of pages, even and clear folds, and there will be no cracks, folds, or unnecessary bends on it.

The main factors to pay attention to when ordering a service:

1. A number of folds. The more folds the product has, the more difficult it will be to complete them.
2. Humidity. The optimal indicator for the amount of moisture should not exceed 10%, since, with high humidity, the product runs the risk of deformation or tearing.
3. The thickness of the paper. Thin sheets of paper up to 90 microns thick are best folded, so they look clean and tidy. On thick paper with a large number of folds, there is the possibility of diagonal deformations, which will make the product not entirely attractive. Therefore, it is worthwhile to clearly distinguish in which case what type of service you need.
4. Fiber direction. It can be transverse or longitudinal. For minimal damage to the paper, the cross fold is recommended. It will turn out to be smoother and of better quality.