Longtime readers of this tips newsletter may notice we collect clever folding templates. So when we stumbled on the Letterfu website, we knew it would eventually show up as a creative tip. (Past paper folding tips include pocketMod guides, or our collection of paper Mac templates.)

Basically you print a Letterfu design on a sheet of paper, write your letter on the back, fold it up, stamp it, and send it. The letter becomes its own envelope. It holds itself closed, secured by the stamp – so it doesn’t even need any glue. You use the entire sheet of paper, so there’s no cutting.

There are two designs on the Letterfu website, however we’ve created editable Illustrator templates you can download and customize to your heart’s content. We’ve also created an additional template for the back page if you have a duplexing printer.

Letterfu Basic (PDF)
Letterfu 2Sided (PDF)

Letterfu Template (zipped Illustrator 9 file)
Letterfu Back Template (zipped Illustrator 9 file)

When you edit the Letterfu template in Adobe Illustrator, you’ll find that most of your work need to be produced at a 45 degree angle. We’re working on a related tip to help make that easier.

Source: We first discovered Letterfu on the Lifehacker blog. However this tip is largely inspired by an ongoing debate with Buffini & Company coach Scott Marquette on the art of handwritten personal notes in today’s digital world. The original Letterfu template was designed using a florentine fold found on a large repository of folding letter designs at ghh.com.