Fold mark

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Fold mark is a technical term from industrial print processing. With the help of the fold marks (lines), the bookbinder recognizes how a print sheet has to be folded .

Office technology

Forms or templates for business letters often have one or two fold marks on the left edge of the sheet (DIN 5008). Once the letter has been written, it is folded in a zigzag shape so that its two upper folded parts are exactly the same size (105 mm each), but the lower part is a little shorter (87 mm). The result is a letter with the top edge of the sheet flush with the top. The lower edge of the sheet on the back is slightly set back in this fold, so that the letter can be unfolded more easily. The thus folded writing is 105 mm high and fits in a DL - envelope .

Standard letterhead

There is the standard letterhead according to DIN 5008 (before 2011: DIN 676 ), which describes where the respective items can be found on a DIN A4 sheet.

Form A = letterhead with 27 mm high letterhead
  1. Fold mark at 87 mm from above (210 mm from below)
  2. Fold mark at 192 mm from above (105 mm from below)
Form B = letterhead with 45 mm high letterhead
  1. Fold mark at 105 mm from above
  2. Fold mark at 210 mm from above

The positions are defined in such a way that, when the letter is folded accordingly, the sender's postal address or the return details and the address field or the recipient's address appear in the window of an envelope according to DIN 680.

In addition to the fold marks, the standard for business letters also provides for a punch mark at 148.5 mm (in the middle for A4), measured from the upper edge of the sheet.

Individual evidence

  1. a b DIN 5008 : 2020-03 Writing and design rules for text and information processing , section 19 Structure and design of letter forms and templates , subsection 19.3 Forms