Make imprinted folds in paper?

Question

I have always liked the little Minecraft papercraft figures that you can buy at the store. You punch out the figures from the sheet and then fold up along the fold creases.

Recently I saw some party boxes that used the same technique of pre-imprinted folds, as the paper was thick and trying to make the fold from scratch would be a pain.

In trying to replicate this technique for a design of mine, I got a cut tool that I can roll around the sides of the outline to be assembled that cuts most of the construction paper, leaving a bit behind to hold it in. The pieces punch out without too much difficulty.

However, I still can’t get my head around how they get those perfect guide indentations for folds. Is there a tool that I can use which puts folds into flat paper so that folding up the design is as painless?

Answer 1

it's not a rolling tool, but a paper burnisher will do as you require. One form of the tool is a rod style handle with a rounded end similar to a ball bearing. In various sizes, they compress the paper when forced along a line, allowing the fold action.

Other forms are variations of this concept with the common factor of a rounded tip to prevent cutting or tearing of the surface being burnished.

In a production environment, one would expect that a die press is used with a rounded edge on the device contacting the paper.

Answer 2

You could try a scoring board - the Scor-Pal is a popular brand - available on Amazon. It's a board with grooves on it (and comes with a bone folder). You line up your design along the grooves and it ensures straight score lines every time.