As I mentioned in a previous post, it is a pleasant surprise to come across foldouts in a book or magazine. You can easily create different kinds of foldouts for your own notebook, journal or planner.

Simple Foldout

The easiest foldout is to trim sheets to the same size as your notebook and tape them in using washi tape. These simple foldouts are useful to view information even when your notebook is closed or when you need to view references while using several pages of your notebook.

Accordion Foldout (Five Panels)

The next two foldouts are different variations for including a one-sided foldout. The accordion foldout is designed to display a portion of the information contained on the foldout. This is helpful if you have several of these because you can easily identify the content.

To accomplish this accordion foldout, five panels (four folds) are required. Use a ruler to measure the total width of the paper and divide by five to measure the panel widths. The panel width should not exceed the width of the notebook. Apply glue to the backside of the fifth panel and paste into the notebook.

The diagram below is for pasting on the left side of a notebook. Fold the opposite way for the right side.

One-sided Four-panel Foldout

To prevent prying eyes from glimpsing information, use this this fold which presents a blank panel initially. You have to unfold the page twice to view content.

To accomplish this foldout, four panels (three folds) are required. Fold the page in half lengthwise then fold in half again. As this diagram is for a foldout on the right side of a notebook, fold from right to left for both folds. Apply a thin strip of glue on the backside of panel one.

Double-sided Foldout

This is the same basic fold as the one-sided foldout above. However, if you are printing a foldout for inclusion, aligning the panels correctly requires some effort. This diagram is for a page on the left side of a notebook.

Maximize the space in your notebook, journal or planner by adding foldouts.