Tutorial: Accordion-fold portfolio

A neat little binding that lets you show it like a book or all at once. A great project to hone your craftsmanship.

I made this accordion-fold portfolio a while ago and got some good response. This binding worked perfect for a portfolio and could be the right choice in a number of applications. I’ve had a few people ask me how I made it. I’ll do my best to explain it. If you aren’t looking to build a portfolio, per say, this might be a good primer and it is an excellent way to improve your craftsmanship.

What you’ll need:

1. Sketching tools (paper, pencil, yada yada)
2. Neatly designed and printed portfolio files
3. Black core matte board
4. Black book cloth or cover-weight paper (for the bindings; I used paper but in hindsight would much rather use book cloth)
5. 3M Super 77 (or another quality spray adhesive, though I don’t think another quality spray adhesive exists, and always use this stuff in a well ventilated space)
6. Book binding glue
7. A cheap paintbrush
8. Sharp exacto knife (and a few spare blades)
9. Metal ruler

Getting started: make a plan

Your planning for this type of project is essential. If you skip this step, you are going to make a mistake (trust me). Pick your format. In this case, I am going to use something simple, like a 42×42 pica square. In the end, it will be 48×42 picas, you’ll see why in a minute. Now take your paper and cut a strip that you can fold accordion style into a mini version; this will be your road map. On each “page” put a note or a sketch that will help you know exactly what goes where. Tip: you will probably want to do some sketching before hand and you may need to make a few minis before you get the pagination just right.

Designing your pages

I used Adobe InDesign. You can use Illustrator, though I wouldn’t recommend it. Set up your document size as 42×42 picas and give yourself 3 picas of bleed on all four sides. (Note: you will probably want to uncheck facing pages in the InDesign “new document” dialog.) Set up your grid and design away. Keep your “road map” handy and let it be your guide. Try to make sure the bleed goes all the way to the edge of the document bleed area, this will make trimming much easier. Print your pages (with crop marks!) and set them aside. Tip: when choosing paper, keep in mind that what you’ve printed out will not get folded and will be spray mounted to matte board, so an uncoated cover is a pretty safe bet.

Mounting

Using the Super 77, spray mount the first half of your pages to the black matte board (basically, all the “front” sides when the accordion book is expanded). Using your exacto and ruler, cut out each ‘page’ that is fixed to a board. (Tip: this may seem tough with your knife, but just be sure you have a fresh blade. Use even pressure and expect three or four slices before you’ve cut through the entire matte board. DO NOT try to cut your matte board in one, monster power slice, you may loose a finger!)

Now, for the back sides, cut out the unmounted pages in the same way. If you’re having trouble cutting the paper with one slice, you definitely need a new blade! Using your mini road map as your guide (check, double check and triple check for each one), spray mount the remaining pages to the appropriate boards. Be super careful here! Spray, line up two corners and stick it on, pushing out any bubbles.

Next you are going to cut the top and bottom bleeds off with your exacto. Leave the sides as they will be a place for the binding to adhere to. This will leave you with a stack of boards, designs mounted, that measure 48 picas wide and 42 picas tall.

Binding

Cut out the book cloth or black paper into strips that are about 7 picas wide and 48 picas tall (you want a little extra to hang off the top and bottom, we’ll remove it later). You will need two strips for each fold. You will also need two end finishers, probably only about 6p6 wide by 48 picas tall.

Take your book binding glue and carefully brush it onto the back of one strip. You will want to cover the entire 3-pica bleed on each joining end. This will leave a space of one pica between each board, allowing the book fold. Keep everything square. Your attention to this detail will make a big difference, especially if you have a lot of pages. It is easiest if you lay out all the boards and glue the binding strips to one side, let it dry, flip it and glue the other side. Glue the end strips, wrapping the strips around the outside edge of your first and last board.

Finishing

Take each “tab” off each binding with your exacto. Fold it, unfold it, refold it and so on. It may take a little breaking in. It is often a good idea to place your folded book below a nice heavy stack of books.

This piece will last a long time, even longer if you used book cloth for the binding. There a many applications for this binding. Get creative and don’t limit yourself with these instructions; make it your own. You will find that people will want to hold it and turn the pages, forcing them to admire the content of your fancy new accordion bound presentation.