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Paper Card Folder
A folded card-size packet with a reinforced lower edge. Follow the original moving diagrams or read the complete illustrated guide below.
Preparation + 9 numbered steps
Materials
6-inch square · 6 × 6 inches
One 6 × 6-inch square (15.24 × 15.24 cm) of paper, a ruler and a pencil. No cutting. Use the measured landmarks below. Optional removable tape secures the outside closing flap; a small card is a separate insert.
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Arrow keys rotate when focused.
Follow along
PreparationThe interactive guide needs JavaScript. Read every illustrated step below.
Help · controls & diagram
Play or drag the progress slider to watch a fold from 0% to 100%. Use the view buttons or drag the diagram to look from another angle.
Blue and gold track the original left and right halves of the sheet, not your paper colors. Dark shades show the reverse; orange highlights the moving packet and crease.
With the diagram focused: Space plays or pauses, ←/→ change steps, and Home resets.
Every step, at a glance
Compare your paper with each diagram after completing the action. Blue and gold track the original left and right halves of the sheet, not your paper colors. Dark shades show the reverse; orange highlights the moving packet and crease.
- 0. Prepare the card folder
- 1. Crease across the middle
- 2. Reopen across the middle
- 3. Crease from side to side
- 4. Reopen from side to side
- 5. Reinforce the bottom edge
- 6. Fold the left side inward
- 7. Fold the right side inward
- 8. Raise the lower panel
- 9. Close the outside flap
PREPARATION · Origami Club linked construction diagram
Prepare the card folder
Place the square with level edges, intended outside color facing down. Keep a small card and optional removable tape nearby.
Layers: One uncut square.
Check: The side edges are vertical.
Explore this step ↑STEP 1 · Origami Club linked construction diagram
Crease across the middle
Fold the square in half across the middle, matching the opposite edges or points. Press the fold.
Layers: Move the complete half of the sheet.
Check: The opposite edges or points coincide.
Explore this step ↑STEP 2 · Origami Club linked construction diagram
Reopen across the middle
Unfold completely along the crease you just made.
Layers: Return the same half to the table.
Check: The sheet is flat again.
Explore this step ↑STEP 3 · Origami Club linked construction diagram
Crease from side to side
Fold the square in half from side to side, matching the opposite edges or points. Press the fold.
Layers: Move the complete half of the sheet.
Check: The opposite edges or points coincide.
Explore this step ↑STEP 4 · Origami Club linked construction diagram
Reopen from side to side
Unfold completely along the crease you just made.
Layers: Return the same half to the table.
Check: The sheet is flat again.
Explore this step ↑STEP 5 · Origami Club linked construction diagram
Reinforce the bottom edge
Fold the bottom 0.25 inch to the back.
Layers: Move only the narrow bottom strip away from you.
Check: The hem is hidden underneath.
Explore this step ↑STEP 6 · Origami Club linked construction diagram
Fold the left side inward
Mark a line 1.25 inches from the original left edge. Fold that side inward.
Layers: Carry the small hem end with the side panel.
Check: The folded left side is straight.
Explore this step ↑STEP 7 · Origami Club linked construction diagram
Fold the right side inward
Repeat 1.25 inches from the original right edge.
Layers: Carry all layers in the right panel, including its hem end.
Check: A 1-inch gap remains between the free side-panel edges.
Explore this step ↑STEP 8 · Origami Club linked construction diagram
Raise the lower panel
Fold the lower section upward along a horizontal line 2 inches above the original bottom edge.
Layers: Carry both side panels and the narrow reverse hem with the bottom.
Check: The reinforced edge reaches 0.75 inch above the original center.
Explore this step ↑STEP 9 · Origami Club linked construction diagram
Close the outside flap
Fold the upper section down along a horizontal line 1 inch above the original center. Lay it over the outside of the lower panel; do not insert it into a slot. Reopen this flap to add a small card, close it again, and optionally secure the outer flap with removable tape.
Layers: Move the whole top packet, including both side panels. The lower packet remains still.
Check: A 3.5 × 2-inch flat folder is complete. Its closure is an outside overlap, not a locking tuck.
Explore this step ↑
Sources & notes
Construction reference: Origami Club; diagram credited to Fumiaki Shingu, Origami Club: Paper Card Folder (web diagram).
Reference construction diagram ↗
The reference diagram credits Fumiaki Shingu. Design authorship and a design-reuse license are not independently established; this is not a public-domain claim. Reference artwork and wording are not reproduced. Teaching text, geometry and rendered diagrams here are original.
Adaptation: Source Cardcase1 steps 1–4: cross marks, reverse bottom hem, two sides inward, bottom up. This version replaces source step 5’s pocket insertion with a complete outside flap folded down; optional removable tape secures that external flap. It is a card folder, not a simulated locking wallet. Source card-dependent folds are fixed for a practice 3.5 × 2-inch packet. Do not force a thick card stack into it.
Original instructions and diagrams, made with AI assistance. About & reuse
Accuracy notes
Real-paper follow-along and paper weight have not been tested. Diagrams illustrate the sequence, not paper thickness, contact, collisions or exact layer visibility. Continuous rigid-axis folds preserve all original material, including carried hidden layers. Measured landmarks and flat-use adaptations are stated in the source notes. Zero-thickness teaching diagrams do not certify paper contact, thickness, retention or physical usability. Real-paper folding has not been tested.