Paper Folder versus A Bone Folder

One of my greatest passions is creating cards. It allows me to create something that is visually artistic, and also gives me the opportunity to express feelings in the written word. It’s the perfect marriage of the two, culminating in the form of a greeting card.

What I’ve found however is that you can create something beautiful, only to have it ruined by an unprofessional fold. To remedy this, you can use a simple tool called a bone folder. It’s called this for the simple reason that it actually is made of bone.

A bone folder tool can cost anywhere from $5.00 to $15.00 approximately, and of course, if you’re opposed to using something created from bone, they also make plastic and Teflon versions.

The bone folder is essentially used to score your desired paper by running it along a ruler line. You can also just manually use your hands to start your fold by rolling one edge over the other. Using the score line as a guide, you can create a crease and sharpen the fold by using your bone folder to run along the fold. By adding slight pressure, you can create a very professional look. I know this can be difficult to visualize, so the good people at www.artbabe.com have itemized the steps and instructions on how to use a bone folder.

A paper folder is a different tool that can give you the same finished look, but from my experience, is much easier to use. It has a board to work with that has a built in ruler to help guide you. It also has a zero point on the ruler that marks the centre. This allows you to easily determine where the centre of your paper is, which is usually the point at which you normally would fold.

Essentially, there is a metal spike that runs along the board. All you need to do is place your paper over top of your board, using the ruler as your guide. Then you would use the wooden tool that comes with the board. It has a groove where the metal spike fits. When you run it along your paper, you create a perfect fold.

Now the cost of a paper folder is markedly increased from the cost of a bone folder at approximately $90.00. But in my view, it’s worth every penny. When you create cards from scratch, having the ease of the paper folder more than pays for itself. It takes away more of the manual aspect of having to hand fold your paper, and using the bone folder to finish the look.

So the big question is, Paper Folder vs. Bone Folder? Your craft needs will determine your decision. In the meantime, just keep creating your wonderful crafts.