How to Make Envelopes

Homemade envelopes will add a personal touch to your thank you or greeting card. With this wikiHow, we’ll show you a few easy ways to make envelopes.

Table of Contents

Making bag-shaped envelopes

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Use paper that’s twice the size of the envelope you want. If unsure, start with the standard size 22×28 cm: you can fold and cut the paper in half before you start if you want to make the envelope smaller.

Fold the paper in half to get a rectangle that is half the size of the original paper.

Glue the two open edges. Use masking tape to secure the two open edges of the rectangle, leaving the top. This will be the place to put the letter in the envelope.

Fold the top, create the lid. Make a small flap for the envelope by folding the open edge of the rectangle down. This flap will keep the letter from falling out of the envelope and it only needs to be folded down a distance of about 1.25 cm.

Insert a letter or card. Open the lid back and put the letter, card or other content in the envelope. Close the lid again when you’re done.

Seal the lid so your message stays sealed in the envelope. Apply a thin line of glue on the inside edge of the lid and press down. As a result, the envelope will be sealed until the recipient opens it. You can also secure the envelope flaps with decorative tape or stickers.

Make envelope stickers

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Place the rectangular piece of paper horizontally. ^{[1] X Research Source} You can experiment with different sizes, but if unsure, start with the standard size (22×28 cm).

Fold the paper in half horizontally. Place the edges of the paper over each other to make sure the fold is straight, and press down on the fold with your fingers to create a crease. Then you can open the paper again and now, the middle crease has appeared.

Fold the top right corner of the paper along the center line. When the edge of this section touches the midline, form a line, fold it down, forming a triangle in the upper right corner.

Fold the top left corner of the paper along the center line. Fold down as you did with the right corner. Remember to smooth the paper with your fingers to create a straight fold. You should now have two small triangles above a rectangle.

Fold the top and bottom edges about 2.5 cm towards the midline. ^{[2] X Research Source} Here, absolute precision is not required and therefore, you can make a visual estimate when folding. Both the top and bottom ends should be folded inward, leaving enough room for the letter or card to fit snugly in the center – about 2.5cm.

At this point, your paper should be laid out horizontally.
The angle of the triangle should point towards the left.

Fold the right edge of the paper along the bottom of the triangle. The edge of the triangle obtained after folding on the left hand side will be parallel to the edge on the right hand side. The triangle itself is still present. Smooth out the crease with your hand and then unfold it again.

Fold the letter so that it fits into the envelope. Large cards can be oversized with this method, however, regular sized letterheads will fit when doubled or tripled.

Put the letter in. Letters can be inserted between the two vertical folds of the envelope. Use the triangle cap and the two side caps, along the length, to secure it.

Close the envelope. Fold the right side back to the side of the triangle, as just done above. Fold the triangle upwards, towards the center of the rectangle. Now, you can see that the back of the resulting envelope looks exactly like a store-bought envelope.

Seal the edge. Use small tapes to secure the edges of the envelope. At the same time, do not forget to seal the lid.

Hand delivered mail. Unfortunately, for letters sent with imperfectly square or precise edges, the post office usually charges a higher fee. ^{[3] X Source of Research} Please deliver the mail yourself if you do not want to pay for this additional cost.

Making Square Origami Envelopes

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Use a square sheet of paper larger than the size of your letter or card. ^{[4] X Research Source} If it’s very large, you may have to go to the craft store to find the right size paper. For example, if the card is 22×28 cm, the minimum size you need will be 31×31 cm. For small cards 10×13 cm, 18×18 cm paper is enough.

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Place the paper so that the corners form a rhombus. The corners should point up and down, left and right, like a rhombus. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Fold the right corner over the right corner. With that, create a crease going from the top left corner to the bottom right corner and from the top right corner to the bottom left corner. First, fold so that the two opposite edges coincide, make a crease, and then unfold it again. Repeat with the other two corners, unfolding so that the paper lays flat again in a diamond shape.

Fold the bottom corner up to the midline. Let it touch the intersection in the middle of the paper of the two fold lines. Next, smooth the folds.

Fold the flat bottom of the corner onto the midline. The paper should now be in the form of a triangle. The outer edges of the paper should match almost perfectly. Flatten the fold line.

Fold the left corner towards the center. Fold the left edge of the triangle so that its vertex slightly exceeds the center line.

Fold the right corner towards the center. The right corner of the triangle should also overlap the midline.

Fold the edge of the right corner upside down. Since the right corner doesn’t quite align with the midline, gently fold back over the excess. The edge of the right corner should be in line with the horizontal fold line. From there, make a small triangle.

Spread out the small triangle. When you put your finger inside the fold of the little triangle, the little triangle will open up on its own into a diamond shape. Spread and flatten it. This tiny diamond shape will have a crease going down the center.

Insert the top edge of the envelope into the small mouth. Now the envelope is complete! You can reopen it to let the letter or card in and then close the top edge. You’ll probably want to secure any loose edges with duct tape if you’re having trouble maintaining the seal of the envelope.

Advice

Using colored craft paper can help add a fun flair to your homemade envelopes and will also make it harder to see through.
Many stores sell textured duct tape – which can add a lovely touch to any envelope.
Try decorating envelopes with stickers.
You can add embellishments on the paper before folding. Once completed, these details will be spread evenly throughout the envelope.
Scissors are optional.
If you deliver the letter yourself, you can use double-sided tape to make the envelope look better.
Practice with scratch paper first.

Warning

Don’t make creases unless you’re sure they’re in the right place.
Be careful when handling paper because its cuts can injure you.

Things you need

Paper the right size for letter writing
Tape
glue

Steps