Note: The lower case e was missing but it’s now there!
So I got a request for an alphabet the other day. Easy enough to sort out. It’s called Black Chancery and is available from DaFont.
I made a PDF of all the characters (a-z, upper and lower case) plus the numbers and some groupings, like st, nd, rd, and th. I also added a & and a heart. You should be able to use it to create your own words, by cutting and pasting, either digitally or with actual scissors and glue. You can grab that here.
As I was doing this, I thought again about how to enable people to make their own templates. I had played around with creating a sheet of just lines back in May, when I first started playing with this, thinking people could use it to “fill” a font shape, or convert it to a fill pattern for PSE or somehow make use of it. In the end, it just seems too hard to explain, especially given all the different programs people might have access to. As I was working on these, it occurred to me that you really didn’t need to fill the font. You just needed the lines. So I went a different way. I created a sheet of lines with the idea that you could print your word, in black, OVER the lines and use the black part to determine the folds!
All you need to do is create the word you want to use. Determine the HEIGHT of it and don’t mess with that – if you have an 8 inch book, a four-inch to five-inch high word is what you need. Then, however you do it in your program, s t r e t c h it widthwise so each letter will cross more lines. In my sample widthhwise in top to bottom, cause I oriented it as the paper goes in the printer.
The sheet of lines has just over 160 lines. Print it – it’s A4 size but should be OK on US letter for many words. Grab it here.
The gaps you see are actually red lines – I added them every 10th line to help with the counting.
Print your font on the sheet of lines.
Basically, you are going to slip the template into the book, exactly as you would as explained in the original post. Line up the lines with the edge of the page. You will then use the black of the font to determine the fold lines. I’ve marked all three fold-points on one sheet – obviously you don’t do that, but I just want you to be able to see what I mean.
You can either mark the line on the template after you’ve folded it, or if you need to step away, note the page of the book the line corresponds to, so it’s easier when you come back to it.
If you have a super complicated word, with lots of multi-folds (like the S above, which has 3 areas that must be folded one per book-page, in sequence, top, middle, bottom) then you could print across multiple sheets, a couple of letters on each sheet. The sample font is not actually a very good one for this sort of thing. Pick your font wisely!
MAKE SURE you read the post that explains the basic steps, and especially calculating the number of pages by sheet (not by number printed on the book!) so you don’t waste your time. But I think it will work, I just haven’t had a lot of time (or an appropriate book) to test it out. I might need to pack the lines closer together, so the word doesn’t need to be stretched, but I fear that may make them harder to focus on. Anyone want to give it a go and let me know?
{wink}
28/07/2022 at 4:03 am
Hi! I’m wondering if you have a template for ‘write’ to foaling with the ‘read’ in the Bernard Mt condensed font? I just got my first teaching job and would love to make these for my english classroom! Thank you so much!
28/07/2022 at 4:05 am
Sorry, typo. I meant ‘write’ to go along with ‘read’
15/10/2020 at 8:32 pm
Also, in the photo above, wouldnt there be 4 folds? The area before the last fold I would have thought should be marked?
16/10/2020 at 5:46 am
Hard to know since I can’t see a a photo! The thick lines, if you have printed your gator on my lined sheet, are no different to the thin ones. They are just there ever 10 lines, if I recall, to help you with the counting. HTH!
16/10/2020 at 5:52 am
Oh I see what you mean, the photo on my blog. Yes there is one section unmarked in the photo. But the principal is the same, you fold one page for each section along a line.
15/10/2020 at 8:30 pm
Hi! I am trying to make a book with a florida gator and I am confused with some of the lines. It is just the gator head logo and I tried to make a template in photoshop. If you would be able to help me, that would be amazing? I think the thick lines are throwing me off….
16/10/2020 at 5:53 am
Since the next comment begins with “also…” I’m guessing both are from you?
29/09/2020 at 4:26 pm
Hi there! I’d love to contact you regarding this book folding craft. I learnt how to do it on a local craft class, but the teacher is not working anymore. I know she used Photoshop to create the template but it looks different to yours. I’d love to learn how to make them myself, but I find them easier to use when marking on the book with the template my former teacher used. I’d appreciate if you could email me, and I’ll show you one of the templates I have. And thanks for sharing!
07/05/2020 at 8:08 pm
I’m wanting to make these for my sisters for mothers day with all of their children’s names just dont have access to a computer but I do for a printer. Any suggestions? I have 5 neices and 5 nephews. Anything is appreciated.
09/05/2020 at 10:23 am
Very confused. What is the printer hooked up to, if not a computer? The way you use the alphabets is to print then assemble the words from cut out bits from the prints. So as long as you can PRINT, you are good to go.
13/02/2020 at 12:55 am
Any way I can get a template all lowercase for the word flow? Thank you.
14/02/2020 at 8:03 am
sent
13/11/2019 at 5:42 pm
i’m new to this but i’ve been trying to figure out how to do letters. their all capital and the letters are OCFCU. can this be done and how do i know what size book to use when making my own template? and how many folds etc. what program do you use? thank you so much
14/11/2019 at 9:41 am
Sent, along with some info on how to fold. I use a Mac-only program call Intaglio to create the templates. It’s a big buggy and quirky but I can mostly make it do what I want…. 😀
01/11/2019 at 3:41 pm
Can you make me template for JSDB please. Thanks.
26/10/2019 at 5:47 pm
Can you make me a templete for KELCI in coolvetica? I have been playing around with this for days and can not make a template. thanks for the help.
27/10/2019 at 9:12 am
Sent.
22/04/2019 at 11:59 pm
Learning book folding has been interesting to say the least. I seem to be am having a hard time making 2 and 3 lines with words and symbols. Could you make a pattern for me that says..?
{heart} Te {heart}
Amo
Mucho
18/03/2019 at 11:11 pm
Can you make me the name Zaine
19/03/2019 at 10:18 am
see my email!
26/11/2018 at 5:51 pm
Thank you for the blog! It is so informative. I am a middle school librarian and have been looking for ways to make the library appealing. Your step-by-step approach has been very helpful. Thank you so much for simplifying the bookfolding process.
26/11/2018 at 2:42 am
I am extremely sorry but I have read and reread how to do my own template and still do not understand what you mean by counting the lines. If I print out your line guide template and print a word over it, wont every book basically need to be the amount of numbered lines? Around 200? How can I figure this out?
27/11/2018 at 11:26 am
The lines DO NOT tell you how many pages you need for your template, they are to help with the counting. Be sure to go back to my blog post for info on how to calculate the page count. https://scrappystickyinkymess.wordpress.com/folded-book-templates/ has links to two different posts for how to do this. Be careful to count the alternating folds correctly!
Why I won’t tell you how many pages you need can be found here https://scrappystickyinkymess.wordpress.com/2016/01/17/book-folding-why-i-wont-count-them-out/
Pay particular attention to the difference between the NUMBERED PAGE COUNT (the numbers printed on the pages of the book, front of a page and back of a page) vs the LEAVES count (the number of pages counted where each leaf = two numbered pages)
If after reading that you are still struggling you might consider looking for someone who uses Bookami to make templates. They do a measure and mark system but it will tell you exactly how many pages you need OR will fit a template to a book you have! It’s a good method but they will charge you for it. HTH
25/11/2018 at 4:06 am
Thank you for all the information you have provided it is wonderful
17/08/2018 at 11:37 pm
Where can I find the upper case Z? I’d like to make a folded book with my and my fiancé’s first initials and the large last name initial in the middle, which is Z. Thanks.
18/08/2018 at 12:08 am
If you look at the sample at the top you will see the upper case Z look a lot like a 3. It’s on the page of the pdf with the Y.
30/05/2018 at 7:51 am
Thanks for your detail posts. A question. When folding a complete word, do you change the direction of the folds, towards the back page, once you reach the middle of the book? Or do you fold the whole word following the direction of the first page, towards the front of the book?
30/05/2018 at 8:25 am
I’ve done both. But in general I tend to keep the fold going the same way to the end.
28/12/2017 at 2:51 am
You are AMAZING! What a blessing that you share your talent with us. Thank you so much!!
28/07/2017 at 5:35 pm
I’ve read through all the tutorials and I still can’t figure out how to make a pattern of my kid’s names. I am Photoshop illiterate. Lol If you could help me with a temlpate that would be great! Kid’s names are Tiana and Hunter. I have two books with 544 pages and 692 pages. Both books are 23cm in height. I’m looking for a cursive font if possible. HELP!!!!
30/07/2017 at 9:27 am
I will send them – but look at the printable sheet of lines here https://scrappystickyinkymess.wordpress.com/2015/12/12/another-book-folding-alphabet-and-a-new-idea/ You can print that sheet, then run it thru the printer again and print the name in black. The principle is the same, you are just folding the pages to meet the top and bottom of the black between the lines, rather than the top and bottom of a line.
Also remember https://scrappystickyinkymess.wordpress.com/2016/01/17/book-folding-why-i-wont-count-them-out/ I make the template, you count the lines and find a book that works. Or you can buy a template where the designer will create the template for a specific book. I don’t do that but there are many who do (I’ve seen 20+ on Facebook, if you want to do it that way – most are pretty cheap, just not free :))
14/06/2017 at 5:34 pm
Hello, I was hoping you could do some names for me. Arenas, Garcia and Orne in Britannic Bold. Also Patterson in Black Channery. These are for house warming gifts and military personnel returning home.
03/06/2017 at 1:52 pm
Ciao, mi dispiace ma non parlo inglese, vivo a Roma, Italia, e mi piace molto piegare i libri.
Ho seguito molto i tuoi suggerimenti e ti ringrazio, ho imparato molte cose! Adesso vorrei fare un libro con il disegno di una casa con Cut & Fold e credo che il tuo metodo è quello che mi serve. Devo “stirare” l’immagine fino alla riga uguale al numero di pagine del libro? Ti ringrazio in anticipo per l’aiuto! La mia email è xxx
06/06/2017 at 7:49 am
Ordinati via e-mail!
01/03/2017 at 8:13 pm
Hello, I love your site and all the downloads you have available.
I am having my Environmental Education class use old dictionary and thesauruses to make recycled art work. Folded book art.
I have used so many of your suggestions and we are just about ready to start our projects.
I have downloaded your lined2.df template! ( I thought that would be the hardest part – figuring out the lines on a page of paper.)
Would that lined2.pdf template work for a 700 page book?
Would that lined2.pdf template work for a 945 page book?
IF NOT, Can you help me create the template for those page number books?
01/03/2017 at 10:52 pm
You will need to print the word and count how many lines it needs to know if the word would fit the book. And you can always split the word I’ve two sheets of the lines if need be!
16/02/2017 at 4:31 pm
Hello Mary Ann,
I was wondering if you could do the word “Dream” for me in black chancery. Thank you so much for your time.
13/01/2017 at 8:27 pm
Thank you so much for your help. Been looking for a line guide for a while now since doing Book Folding ( still learning) I was drawing the words & drawing lines over the words….. Took a while but managed a couple !! Now it will be easier Thanks to you.
14/01/2017 at 11:09 am
Glad it will be useful.
11/01/2017 at 1:12 pm
do you have templates for like birds or animals or looking for a husky and german shepherd but i can’t one
11/01/2017 at 1:17 pm
if you can find an .svg file out there on the internet that is free, send me the link and I can make a template of it.
12/01/2017 at 8:57 am
Nope, but if you send me a link to a .svg file for the image you want, I should be able to make a template from it
11/01/2017 at 1:11 pm
so happy i found your site now to find more templates t help with my projects
11/12/2016 at 3:09 pm
Can you make a TCU and Texas Tech logo ? I want the letters to look like what TCU uses and the double “T”logo for Texas Tech.
12/12/2016 at 7:08 am
TCU no problem, but the double Ts I’m not so sure. I’ll send my best attempt but I can’t promise it’ll turn out great when you fold it!
22/10/2016 at 6:29 am
Just wanted to say, Thank you so much!
09/06/2016 at 2:46 pm
Thank you so much for doing this! You have made it possible for everyone to enjoy book folding, your explanations are clear and you have worked hard to make it easy for us! YOU ARE AWESOME!!!
10/06/2016 at 5:43 am
Thanks for saying so. I hope you enjoy.
MA
14/02/2016 at 6:33 pm
how do you do the dot on a j ,i? by the way i am doing this as a hobby not to sellx
14/02/2016 at 8:25 pm
by doing alternating folds! did you read the posts in the Book Folding menu at the top? They explain how 🙂
MA
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13/01/2016 at 2:23 am
I love the Black Chancery font and would like to use, however the lower case “e” seems to be hiding somewhere! Any idea where it might be? Thanks for your wonderful abilities!
15/01/2016 at 10:03 am
Hiding indeed. It was actually AFTER the d but outside the border of the PDF. I’ve shifted it to a bit of an empty space so the set is complete!
Thanks for letting me know and sorry for the brain fade.
MA
17/12/2015 at 7:14 pm
Been looking everywhere for something like this so my kiddo can make her own designs. You’re a hero, thanks so much!!
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12/12/2015 at 9:24 pm
Well, here I go again. I’m not used to work with adope pdf files, so how do I cut and past?
13/12/2015 at 9:30 am
I can’t really answer that – it will depend on the program you are using. If you have Photoshop Elements, you just open the PDF and open a new blank file. Select the letters on the PDF, copy, then paste them into the new file, til you have added all the letters for your word. Then align them and save. The print. One thing you can’t do is resize them.
HTH. I may have to do a post explaining this further, but at the moment PSE is only on my old machine and hard to access.
MA
12/12/2015 at 8:56 pm
Hi. Thank you so so much for the alphabet. You are so kind. 🙂 Now I will see, if I can make some words 🙂 Thanks again. 🙂
12/12/2015 at 6:38 pm
I just want you to know how much I appreciate all this help! Thank you!!