Presentation Folder Design Ideas

Presentation folders are great for when you want to keep your documents in one convenient place. Whether you use them for important meetings, networking events or to send out product samples to potential clients, they’ll help to highlight that you’re organised and professional: two traits that are sure to make the very best impression.

Setting up your presentation folder for print might seem a little daunting, so to help you get started, we’ve collected useful presentation folder design ideas and layout tips below. Ordering your presentation folders will soon feel like a walk in the park!

Interlocking or Glued Presentation Folders?

First things first: you’ll need to select which folder type you fancy. Presentation folders are available as either glued or interlocking. With interlocking folders, the edges are locked together to create a sturdy pocket. 

The advantages of these over glued is that they have a long flap that runs vertically up the side of the folder as well as a shorter flap that runs horizontally along the bottom. Because of this, your documents will be held firmly in place, which is great if you’re carting them around from meeting to meeting.

With glued folders, you’re getting a more premium finish. This robust option boasts a large pocket that is glued on one edge and fit to hold around 15 sheets of paper. Pop in some swatch samples, a stack of business documents or your university work and you can really showcase your stuff in style!

Both presentation folder design ideas offer the space and durability to keep your documents safe and secure. They even offer a nifty slot for your business card, so whichever one you choose, you’ll always be ready to network!

Select Your Presentation Folder Size

The size of your presentation folder depends entirely on what you want to put in it! If you’re after something that will hold important business documents, then A4 is just the ticket. If you want to put together a promotional pack that you can send through the post, A5 is probably your best bet.

Whichever design idea is right for you, just remember that both options are slightly oversized (i.e. A5 oversized means slightly bigger than A5, A4 oversized is slightly bigger than A4). This is so your documents will fit snugly inside the folder without any creasing.

Layout Tips for Supplying Your Presentation Folder Artwork

So here’s the tricky bit. When designing your artwork for presentation folders, you have to take the layout into account. If you take a look at the image below, you’ll see that the artwork bleeds to the edge of the document, completely covering the net of the folder. This is easier than having to design each section separately and it ensures that you get a nice, neat finish once the folder is cut.

Artwork for glued folders should be supplied as a 454mm x 383mm document for the A4-sized folder and 332mm x 297.5mm for the A5-sized folder.

Artwork for glued folders should be supplied as a 454mm x 383mm document for the A4-sized folder and 332mm x 297.5mm for the A5-sized folder.

For print in the UK, we recommend that you stick to these specifications:

Size with bleed: A5 - 332mm x 297.5mm, A4 - 454mm x 383mm

Resolution: 300 dpi

Format: PDF or JPEG

Colour: CMYK

Fonts: Outlined or Embedded

Bleed: 3mm

Safe Zone: 3mm

For more information, including definitions and explanations of these terms, please visit our artwork help desk, where you’ll find all our UK artwork guides.

Free Creative Folder Templates

The easiest way to design a presentation folder for print is to use our free creative folder templates. To find these, choose the type and size of presentation folder you want to print on our website, open the Artwork Guide tab, and pick your template. We offer creative folder templates in the following formats:

•    PDF
•    Illustrator
•    InDesign
•    PSD

If you choose our 7mm spine interlocking folders, we’ll help you create your spine artwork. We can:

•    Leave it blank
•    Add in colour
•    Add in your design

Just let us know what you want us to do when you send your artwork into us. Our UK Studio team will make the changes and send you a proof of your design to make sure you’re happy with it. Then all you’ll need to do is approve your proof and it’ll get sent straight to print!

Now you’ve taken in our presentation folder design ideas and layout tips, you’re ready to get printing! If you have any more questions about setting up your presentation folders, get in touch, we’re always happy to help!