How to Make an Envelope Out of Printing Paper
The origin of the envelope, although not well documented, can be traced to the ancient Babylonians when they created clay tablets for writing messages and then baked. More clay was added to cover the message and then baked once again. The hidden message could not be revealed until the baked outer layer was removed. In the 17th century, envelopes were introduced to Europe and were frequently used throughout France and Spain. Envelopes today, whether used for bills or personal letters, can be made from a variety of paper sizes, including printing paper.
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Things You'll Need
- Printing sheet (8 1/2 by 11 inches)
- Pencil
- Scissors
- Scoring tool
- Ruler
- Craft glue
- Bone folder
- Double-sided adhesive
Instructions
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1
Draw your envelope's template. Take a sheet of 8 1/2- by 11-inch printing paper. Position the paper horizontally.
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2
Fold the bottom of the paper approximately three inches upward. Crease the fold and open. You can opt to draw a dotted line at the fold and use it as a folding guide for your template. This will form the bottom flap.
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3
Fold each side of the paper approximately two inches inward. Crease the fold. Open the folds and draw a dotted line at each side's fold line and use it as a folding guide for your template. Re-fold the sides.
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4
Fold the bottom flap over the sides temporarily. Fold the top of your sheet approximately two inches over the bottom flap. Crease the fold and open. This will form your top flap. You can opt to draw a dotted line at the fold line as your folding guide. You can also change the dimensions to the folding pattern.
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5
Cut the two outer corners at your top flap and the two bottom outer corners with your scissors. If you made the dotted fold lines in previous steps, you will have a square at each corner and you can cut along the lines.
You will now have an extending top, bottom and two side flaps. The center rectangular shape will be your envelope's actual size.
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Fold the side flaps inward. Fold the lower left corner of your bottom flap until it aligns with the side flap. You will have a half triangle at each corner of your bottom flap. Score the folds with a scoring tool, an instrument designed to partially cut through flat objects, and cut off the corners with your scissors.
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Open the side flaps. Make a triangle on each flap by folding the two corners toward each other. You will see a visible center opening in the triangle. Repeat with the opposite side flap. Score the fold lines. Open the triangles and cut along the fold lines. You will have a half triangle on each side flap.
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8
Measure one inch with your ruler on your bottom flap and draw a horizontal line. Cut along the line. Fold your bottom flap. Your bottom flap will align with the two side flaps when folded in a later step.
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9
Add craft glue to the edges of your side flaps and fold over toward the bottom flap. Use a bone folder, a sturdy tool used in paper crafts, to smooth out the glue and folds. Let dry.
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10
Fold the outer corners of your top flap toward the guide line. You will have a 1/2 triangle on each side of the top flap. Score the corners and cut.
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11
Fold the top flap over to close the envelope. You can opt to add a strip of double-sided adhesive at the edge of your top flap. Remove the protective backing to adhere. Do not remove the remaining backing until you are ready to close your envelope.
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