How to Make a Booklet with Paper: 8 Pages, 16 Pages & More

Making a book out of paper is a fun and easy project that’s great for gift-giving, journaling, sketching, and keeping kids entertained. In this article, we’ll show you how to make an 8-page or 16-page booklet out of just a single sheet of paper, plus how to make larger books with more pages from multiple sheets of paper. Now, let’s get folding!

Making a Booklet with Paper: Visual Guide

An illustration showing how to fold one sheet of paper into an 8-page booklet.

Fold a sheet of paper in half 3 times to divide it into eighths, then unfold it.
Fold the paper in half, short edge to short edge.
Turn the paper so the folded edge is facing you.
Cut the vertical crease until you reach the intersection with the horizontal crease.
Unfold the page again, then fold it in half, long edge to long edge.
Push the short edges together with the cut edge facing you to create book pages.
Flatten the booklet and staple the folded edge to hold it together.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Folding an 8-Page Book from 1 Sheet of Paper

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Fold a piece of paper into eighths. Start by folding the paper so that it is long and skinny (long edge folded to long edge). Then, fold the paper in half again, short edge to short edge. Make on last fold in half again, short edge to short edge.^{[1]
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- Be sure your folds are even and you crease each one well. Consider sliding your fingernail or something hard, such as the edge of a pencil or a bone folder, over the crease.
- What kind of paper should you use? Any paper will work! The larger the original sheet, the larger the pages of your book will be. Thin paper is easy to work with and makes a compact book, but thicker paper will make your book more durable.
You will see eight separate panels. These will become the pages of your book!

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You’ll be folding the paper in half the opposite way from your very first fold.
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Cut the paper to separate your pages. Place the paper so that the folded edge is facing you. Then, cut along the vertical fold seam in the middle of the paper until it intersects the horizontal fold seam (right in the center of the paper).
- Stop cutting at the horizontal seam. You are just cutting a slit in the paper; you are not cutting it all the way across.
It should now have the original eightfold panels, but there should be a slit down the center of the paper, between the middle four panels.
Repeat your very first fold. The cut part of the paper should fall along the middle of the folded edge.
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Fold the paper into a book shape. Turn your paper so that the cut edge is up in the air. Then push the two ends toward each other. Separate the two middle seams from each other.^{[2]
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- You will need to reverse the direction of the fold on one of the seams.
- Push the two ends towards each other until you have 4 “wings” moving outward from the center, like a cross or an X.^{[3]
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Lay the booklet on a flat surface and press it firmly, sliding your finger or something hard along all of the folds and creases to make them crisp and flat.
Put 2 staples along the folded edge of your booklet to hold it together. If you would like to make your book even more durable, jump to our section on how to bind your book!

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Folding a 16-Page Book from 1 Sheet of Paper

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Fold your sheet of paper in half 4 times, going short edge to short edge each time.^{[4]
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Research source} Fold slowly and carefully so your edges stay lined up, and press each crease with your finger or a hard object to make them crisp and flat.
Lay your paper out and check your work—you should have 16 same-sized rectangles on your paper. If you see any creases that aren’t flat and crisp, refold them and press them neater.
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Cut along the top horizontal crease for 3 boxes, left to right. Whichever way you orient your paper determines whether you’ll have portrait or landscape pages. Place the short edge on top for portrait pages, or have the long edge on top for landscape pages. Then, grab scissors and cut along the topmost horizontal crease. Start at the left edge of the page and cut toward the right. Stop after you’ve cut through 3 boxes.^{[5]
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- You just want to make a large slit in the paper along the crease to separate your pages. Do not cut all the way across the paper or into the 4th box.
Now, repeat the same cut you just made, except this time, cut along the bottom horizontal crease. The same rules apply—cut from left to right, and only cut through 3 boxes.
This will be your final cut. Cut along the middle horizontal crease, but this time, start at the right edge of the paper. Cut inward for 3 boxes.
Start with the top left corner of the paper and start accordion-folding the pages together along the creases, moving to the right. When you reach the other end of the page, fold downward, then accordion-fold the next row of pages, moving to the left. Keep folding in this style until each page is folded. You’ve now got a 16-page booklet!
Hold the edge of your booklet together with one hand and flip through the pages to make sure you’ve got 16 separate pages with none of them being nested inside each other. Then, put 2 staples along the edge of the booklet to bind it.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Making a Book with More Pages

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Decide how many pages you would like your book to be. You’ll get 2 pages for each sheet of paper you use, so 6 to 12 sheets of paper make a 12 to 24-page book (including the front and back covers). You can use more than 12 pages, but binding may become more difficult.
- What kind of paper should you use? Plain white printer paper works well, but paper with a heavier weight (thickness) may be more durable. Resume paper or paper with a colored finish provides a nice visual effect if you plan to give the book as a gift.
- Consider using one sheet of special or colored paper that you can use as the book cover.
- This guide assumes that you will be using standard letter-sized paper (8.5”x11”), but other sizes may work as well.
- Avoid using lined notebook paper if possible. The lines will be vertical, and the paper book will not look as nice as it would with other paper.
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Fold your paper in half. Fold each page of the paper you have chosen short end to short end.^{[6]
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Research source} Be sure the edges of the page are lined up nicely, and sharpen your crease by running your fingernail along it, or by sliding a hard object such as a pencil or bone folder along the edge.
- Folding each page individually will give you a cleaner crease and more even lines than trying to fold all of the pages together at once.
3
Nest the pages of your book into 6-page sections. Put the halves inside each other. If you have more than 6 sheets of paper, create sets of pages with no more than six sheets each.
- If you nest more than 6 pages together, the inner pages will start to protrude beyond the outer pages, and your book will not look neat.
- If you have an even number of pages, try to make even sets of book sections (for example, 2 sets of 6, 3 sets of 4, or 4 sets of 3 pages).
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Staple your book sections. For a sturdier final project, you may want to staple each book section at this point. Place at least 2 staples as close to the edge of each section as you can get.^{[7]
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- Try to stagger the staple placement on the sections so that there is not a bulge from a stack of staples together when you bind the sections together.
- Depending on your binding technique, this step may not be necessary. If you will be taping, it is necessary.
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Line up your book sections. Be sure that you carefully line up the sections of your book. Place the folded edges of the book sections together.
- Check all edges for neatness and uniformity. If one of the pages is sticking out, it may not have been folded neatly. You may want to replace it with a more carefully folded page.
- Once all of your sections are neat and lined up, you’re ready to bind them together!

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Binding Your Book

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Prepare a paper cover for your book. Select a piece of paper that you will use for your book cover. Consider using colored paper or paper with a heavier weight, or decorating the cover with stamps, stickers, or other personal touches.^{[8]
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Research source} You can design it however you like!
- Prepare your book cover by folding it in half, short end to short end, and sharply creasing the edge.
- When you put the cover on your pages depends on the type of binding you choose.
Cut a piece of sturdy tape, such as duct tape, slightly longer than your book. Carefully place the tape on the front of the book spine and wrap it around the back so that half of the tape is on each side of the front and back book page. Cut excess tape from above and below the book.
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Tape the cover onto your book. Cut two pieces of tape that are the same length as the book. Then, fold the tape in half long ways, sticky side out. Open the back of your book and place the folded tape along the crease on the inside back cover. Then, place the edge of your book into the crease in the cover (one side of the tape will be on the inside of the back cover, and one side will be on the outside of the last inner page). Close the book to secure it.
- Repeat this on the front cover. Open the front cover of your book and place the second piece of tape, also folded lengthwise and sticky sides out, along the crease between the inside front cover and the outside of the first inner page.
- Close the book and firmly run your hand along the folded edge to secure the taped pieces.
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Or, use string or ribbon to bind your book. If you are using a cover, place the folded cover over the stacked book sections. Punch at least 2 holes through the entire book where you would like the binding to be. The holes should be close to the folded edge of the book, but be sure you do not punch the folded spine. Thread string or ribbon through the holes in your book and tie neatly to finish binding!
- Your string can be woven in and out of multiple holes, then run down the back cover of the book along the spine and tied together, or separate small bows can be tied for each hole, with the string going through a hole, around the spine of the book, and being tied to itself.^{[9]
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- You can have more than 2 holes if you would like, but be sure the holes are spaced apart evenly so that the binding is aesthetically pleasing.
- If you have more than 6 pieces of paper, you may want to punch holes in each book section separately, but be sure to measure where the holes go so that they will align neatly when you combine the sections.
- For shorter journals, try using decorative brads through the punched holes.
- For much longer journals, consider sewing the book sections together by punching holes in each section and passing a needle and strong thread in and out of the holes until all the sections are bound together.

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How do I make an A3 paper book and make it look old?

Community Answer

You can crumple the pages slightly so it looks used, and you can burn it at the tips. You can also spray it with tea and let it dry. Check out How to Make Paper Look Old for more ideas.

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Can I make a medium sized book with less than 6 sheets of paper?

Kim G

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Yes. You will have fewer than twelve pages, but if you don't mind having a book with only a few pages, that should be fine.

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How do I make book with chickens on it?

Ravenwolf123

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You could draw the chickens if you want to exercise your artistic abilities, or you could use a free image from the internet. Make sure the image is free before you use it, especially if you plan to publish the book.

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Don't try to punch through to much paper. If the book is really thick, you can separate it into small chunks.
You can draw things on another paper, color them, and then cut and glue them to your paper book.

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