Custom Pocket Folders
Custom pocket folders that hold a proposal without the pages sliding out, from 100 units. Glued pockets cut deep enough to grip, a card slit that actually holds a card, and a spine that copes with the stack you put in it — printed inside and out, foiled if the meeting warrants it.
The folder is judged before anything inside it is read
- Stock
- 12–14 pt coated cover, C1S or C2S; recycled and uncoated options
- Sizes
- 9 x 12 in standard; 9.5 x 14.5 in legal; 6 x 9 in compact
- Pockets
- One, two or three; 4 in deep, glued both edges; expanding gusset option
Get a price for Pocket Folders
Send the size and quantity — we reply the same working day with a price, a dieline and a date. Artwork optional at this stage.
- Free dielineThe flat drawing comes with the quote, before you commit.
- Proof before pressNothing is printed until you have seen it laid on the dieline.
- Die kept for reordersTooling is paid once. Every reorder skips straight to press.
- Quoted in four marketsUS, UK, Canada and Australia, in the delivery currency.
Pocket depth, and why pages slide out
A pocket cut at three inches holds a letter-size stack; a pocket cut at four holds it securely, and the difference is one inch of board. Cheap folders use the shallow pocket because it nests better on the sheet and saves a few cents, and the pages slide out when the folder is tilted. We cut pockets at four inches as standard, glue them at both edges rather than one, and angle the top cut so a thumb can get under the stack.
| Two pockets, 4 in | The standard: a proposal on the right, collateral on the left |
|---|---|
| One pocket | A single-document folder; cheaper, and the empty side takes print |
| Three pockets | A middle pocket on a gate fold, for tiered documents |
| Expanding pocket | A gusset at the pocket base for a half-inch stack |
The spine, and the stack you actually carry
A flat folder holds about twenty sheets before it stops closing flat and the cover bows. A scored spine — a quarter or a half inch of parallel creases at the fold — lets the folder open square around a real stack and keeps the front cover flat, which is where the logo is. If the folder carries a printed report as well as loose sheets, ask for the spine; it costs nothing but a score. A bound document that must arrive flat wants the rigid construction of our portfolio boxes for bound documents instead.
Score the spine, do not just fold it. A single fold on a heavy stock cracks through the print on the first close.
Card slits, and the things that go in them
The card slit is the detail people notice. Cut too shallow and the card falls out; cut too deep and the pocket tears when the card is removed.
- A pair of diagonal slits in the right pocket, cut to 3.5 x 2 in, which hold a card by two corners and do not tear.
- A CD or USB slit, still asked for, cut in the left pocket with a hub or a strap.
- A pen loop die-cut into the pocket edge.
- A brochure-width pocket on one side, so a folded leaflet sits flush rather than proud.
Stock, print and the finish that survives a bag
Pocket folders run on a 12–14 pt coated cover stock — heavy enough to hold shape, light enough to fold — and they are printed on both sides as standard, because the inside of the cover faces the reader when the folder is open. A matte lamination is the practical choice: it resists the scuffs a folder collects in a bag, where an uncoated stock shows every mark. Foil on the logo and a spot gloss over it is the usual upgrade for a pitch folder, and the trade-offs are the ones in our guide to choosing a print finish. A folder is a folder, and the finish is what makes it look like one.
Pocket Folders — specification
The rows that are specific to this build first, then what applies to every job we run. Anything not listed is a question, not a limit — send the brief.
This build
- Stock
- 12–14 pt coated cover, C1S or C2S; recycled and uncoated options
- Sizes
- 9 x 12 in standard; 9.5 x 14.5 in legal; 6 x 9 in compact
- Pockets
- One, two or three; 4 in deep, glued both edges; expanding gusset option
- Spine
- Scored 0.25 or 0.5 in for stacks over 20 sheets
- Slits
- Business card, CD or USB, pen loop
- Finishes
- Matte or gloss lamination, foil, spot UV, emboss
- Minimum
- 100 folders
On every job
- Print process
- Digital below about a thousand, offset above it. Both sides as standard on cards, tags and leaflets.
- Color
- CMYK with spot colors for a brand match. Uncoated and cotton stocks print noticeably lighter than coated ones.
- Tolerance
- Trim plus or minus 1 mm guillotined, plus or minus 0.5 mm die-cut. Anything over about 170gsm is creased before folding.
- Tooling
- A die only where the piece is shaped, perforated or drilled, made once and kept. A plain rectangle needs none.
- Food contact
- Food-safe inks on menus and counter print that will be handled where food is served.
- Sustainability
- Uncoated and unlaminated stocks recycle without separation, and FSC papers are available across the range.
- Artwork
- Vector PDF or AI, 3 mm bleed, 4 mm safe area, fonts outlined. We check every file and send a proof before press.
- Dieline
- Supplied free with the quote, before you commit. Yours whether or not you order.
- Sample
- A plain unprinted sample at the finished size on request, for fit and construction.
- Reorders
- Skip the tooling and go straight to press at a lower unit price.
- Lead time
- Quoted with the price against your fill date rather than promised before we have seen the spec.
- Markets
- United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia — priced in the delivery currency, freight included.
Boards and films we build pocket folders on
Sheet print is judged in the hand more than a box is: the weight, the surface and whether a pen works on it. These are the stocks we run for cards, folders, leaflets and stationery.
Coated card 300–400gsm
The workhorse. Sharp full-color print, matte or gloss, laminated where it is handled. Does not take a pen unless the finish is matte.
300–400gsmUncoated card
No clay coat. Colors read softer and warmer, a deboss goes deeper, and it writes on with anything. Photographs lose punch.
300–400gsmCotton and textured card
Soft, thick and fibrous. Takes a deep blind deboss and reads as an invitation. Foil sits beautifully; four-color does not.
400–700gsmDuplexed card
Two sheets bonded, often with a colored core, for a very thick card with a visible colored edge. The heaviest thing we print.
600–900gsmText paper 100–170gsm
Leaflets, folder inners and booklet pages. Folds without cracking and takes a full-color print on both faces.
100–170gsmManila and kraft paper
Unbleached, tan, and cheap. One or two colors read well; white ink gives a light mark. Envelopes, folders and tags.
90–300gsmSynthetic stock
Polypropylene sheet for tags and cards that get wet, torn or handled outdoors. Prints like paper and does not soften.
200–400 micronBoard-backed
A printed face laminated to grayboard, for a rigid card, a folder back or a display that has to stand up on its own.
1–2 mm boardNot sure which? Say what goes in it and where it is sold — the material follows from that. Our notes on recycled, recyclable and compostable cover which claims each stock can honestly carry.
- 01
Send what you have
A dimension, a photograph beside a ruler, or the product itself. No technical drawing needed — that part is ours.
- 02
We quote and draw
A price, a dieline and a date come back together. If a different build would suit the product better, that is in the reply too.
- 03
Approve the dieline
The flat drawing is yours to check: which panel is the front, where the folds fall, how deep the cavity really is.
- 04
Artwork on the dieline
You place your design on the flat we sent, or we place it for you, and you see a proof before anything goes to press.
- 05
A sample if you want one
A plain unprinted sample at the finished size shows fit and construction — the things a drawing cannot.
- 06
Cut, printed, shipped
The die is cut once and kept, so every reorder skips the tooling and goes straight to press at a lower unit price.
Format
Vector PDF or AI where possible. Raster artwork at 300dpi at final size, in CMYK.
Bleed
3 mm past every trim line, so a fraction of drift on the cutter never leaves a white edge.
Safe area
Keep type and anything important 4 mm inside the cut and away from every fold.
Color
Convert to CMYK before sending. Uncoated stock prints lighter; a spot color is the only exact match.
Fonts
Outline them or supply the files. A missing font substitutes silently and the proof will not match.
Barcodes
On a light, matte, unvarnished patch with the quiet zone clear — a code on gloss fails the scanner.
Not set up that way? Send it anyway — fixing a file is a short conversation, and we check every one before press. Our guide to preparing print files covers each point.
Sheet print takes the widest range of finishes of anything we make.
Matte lamination
Soft, fingerprint-resistant, and it still takes a pen. The default on anything handled.
Gloss lamination
Maximum color depth. Shows every fingerprint and refuses a ballpoint.
Hot foil
Gold, rose gold, silver, holographic or a color. The block is small so the die is cheap.
Emboss and deboss
Deepest on uncoated and cotton stocks; shallow and prone to cracking on gloss coated.
Spot UV
A gloss shape on a matte laminate. Best on a dark ground where the contrast reads.
Edge paint and colored core
Color on the cut edge of a thick or duplexed card. Only seen when the card is picked up, which is the point.
Soft-touch
A velvet laminate on a cover or a folder. Marks on white; excellent on dark.
Uncoated and textured
No film at all. Writes on, debosses deeply, and reads as considered rather than cheap.
Not sure which suits the shelf it sells from? Say where the product is sold and we suggest one — our notes on specialty finishes show them on real boxes.
Sizing printed sheets, folds and the grain: pocket folders
A printed piece is specified flat and finished folded, and the difference between the two is where mistakes live. Send the finished size you want and we work back to the flat.
- Finished size
- The size after folding and trimming. A6, A5, A4, DL, US letter and legal are standard; anything else is cut on its own die.
- Bleed and safe area
- 3 mm of artwork past every trim edge, and nothing important within 4 mm inside it. The guillotine drifts by a fraction on every stack.
- Grain direction
- Paper folds cleanly along the grain and cracks across it. We set the grain to the fold, which is why a sheet is not simply cut from the biggest sheet available.
- Fold allowance
- On a roll fold or a gate fold, the inner panels are cut a millimeter or two shorter so the piece closes flat.
- Creasing
- Anything over about 170gsm is creased before folding. Without it the fold cracks and the coating flakes along the line.
- Trim tolerance
- Plus or minus 1 mm guillotined, plus or minus 0.5 mm die-cut.
Not sure your numbers are right? Send the product dimensions rather than the box dimensions and we work the box out — the full method is in our guide to measuring for a box.
Interactive · five steps · no sign-up
Spec your Pocket Folders
Pick a shape, type a size, choose a stock and a finish. The preview on the left redraws as you go, and the spec lands with us exactly as you set it.
Frequently asked questions
Got a question about pocket folders? The answers below cover what we get asked most. If yours is not here, send it with a brief, message us on WhatsApp, or call +1 503-461-4788 — we reply the same working day.
Why do pages slide out of some folders?
Shallow pockets. A three-inch pocket does not grip a letter stack; we cut four inches and glue both edges.
What size are they?
9 x 12 in for letter documents, 9.5 x 14.5 in for legal, 6 x 9 in for a compact folder. Custom sizes to order.
Can it hold a thick stack?
With a scored spine, yes — a quarter or half inch lets the folder close flat around a real stack. Without one it bows after about twenty sheets.
Will the business card slit hold a card?
Yes, cut as a diagonal pair to 3.5 x 2 in so the card is held at two corners and the pocket does not tear when it is removed.
Can you print inside?
Yes, and it is worth it — the inside of the cover faces the reader when the folder is open. Both sides is our standard.
Which lamination?
Matte, for a folder that lives in a bag. Gloss looks sharper on day one and shows every scuff by the third meeting.
Can I have an expanding pocket?
Yes, with a gusset at the pocket base for a stack up to about half an inch.
Do you do a three-pocket version?
Yes, with a middle pocket on a gate fold, for tiered or multi-part documents.
Is there a recycled stock?
Yes, a recycled coated cover that prints well, and an uncoated recycled stock with a more natural surface that scuffs sooner.
What is the minimum order?
100 folders. They are die-cut and run several-up on a sheet, so short runs are practical.
How long does production take?
It depends on the finish and the quantity. We give a date with the quote rather than a number before we have seen the spec.
Will you send a sample?
An unprinted folder in your size, so you can load a real proposal into it and carry it in a bag before print.
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