About Tent Fold Greeting Cards

Tent Fold Greeting Cards are actually misnamed, probably getting its name during the growth of do it yourself computer design software. The popularity of home computer use and create your own greeting cards is probably where the name confusion originated. This happens when technology impregnates a trade like graphic design, where the term tent fold is used. While the term tent fold does exist, traditionally it does not exist in relationship to card folding but rather display pieces. However, the term tent fold does have a visual relationship that aids in describing the fold desired in the greeting cards.

Identification

A tent fold in relationship to greeting cards is a basic single fold. Taking an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper and folding it in half to make a 5.5 x 8.5 card.

Function

Traditionally a tent fold defines the use of the printed piece rather than the fold itself. A tent fold describes a printed piece that is used to communicate a message on both sides of the folded piece. Think of a restaurant that has a printed piece on the tabletop that describes their dessert menu. It is correct reading without having to turn or adjust the piece. The printed piece would actually sit on the tabletop like a small tent with the fold at the top. This is different from a greeting card that would be opened and read.

History

The greeting card is more than 200 years old. One of the oldest noted greeting cards can be found in the British Museum in London. It is a valentine and dates from the 1400s. As technology advanced, color printing became affordable and the greeting card became more popular around the mid 1800s.

Considerations

Designing a greeting card on your computer and using a tent fold, your design will consist of two pages of design in the computer. The first page will contain the front and back of your card. The second page will contain the interior of your card. Print out the first page on the front of one piece of paper and then turn the paper over, insert it back into the printer, printing the second designed page on the back side of the piece of paper. For clarification, you have designed two pages that actually print to one piece of paper utilizing the front and back of the page. Now fold the sheet of paper in half and make sure all your designs align correctly by not interfering with the fold, and are in the correct order before use.

Expert Insight

All finishing folds are based on two basic folds. They are either perpendicular or parallel. For a tent fold, it is one single fold so there is no other fold to compare it too.

Types

While a single fold greeting card is the simplest card to fold, it is a bit more difficult to print on your computer because it has to travel through the printer twice. It starts with an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper and is finished as a 5.5 x 8.5 card. A french fold greeting card is easier to print and slightly more difficult to fold. It travels through the printer once printing all four sides of the card at once. Then the paper is folded in half and then perpendicularly folded in half again. It starts as an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper and finishes as a 4.25 x 5.5 card.