InDesign CS5 allows pages with different dimensions in the same file. A participant in one of my InDesign seminars recently asked if there was an easy way use this feature to create a template for a pocket folder. Here is what we came up with:
1. Create a new InDesign file. Make the file 4 pages. The pages should be the size that you want the “cover” of the pocket folder to be. 9″ x 12″ is a typical U.S. pocket folder size. Do not check the Facing Pages option.
2. Select page 1 in the Pages panel. In the Pages panel menu, choose Allow Selected Spread to Shuffle to deselect it.
3. Push page 2 to the right edge of page 1 and release. It should join up with page 1 into a 2 page spread. Repeat this with pages 3 and 4, until you have a 4 page spread.
4. Select the new Page tool (the third tool from the top of the tool panel, or shift-p) and then click on page 1.
5. In the Control panel, enter the desired height for the pocket folder flap in the height (H) field. 4″ is a common flap height in the U.S.
6. Use the Page tool to drag the flap down below page 1. It should snap into position.
7. Repeat steps 4-6 for page 4, and you’re done!
One advantage of using 4 pages for a template like this is that you can easily print or create a PDF of either the entire layout, or just individual “pages”. So you could easily print just the front cover without the flap by printing page 3, for example.
Any artwork that you would place in the flap area would normally be upside down, so that when the flaps are folded over into the inside of the folder, the artwork is right-side up.
Disclaimer: From a production standpoint, your printer may, for good reason, want you to use templates that they provide for complex folding items like pocket folders. But I thought that this was an interesting use case that might make you think of other creative ways to use this feature.
This article was last modified on December 21, 2021
This article was first published on February 10, 2012
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