Free design proof on every custom order: no templates, no stock SKUs
Photo folders are small presentation folders sized to hold finished prints, not paperwork. The folder a portrait studio, school photographer, or wedding photographer hands a client instead of a bare envelope. They come sized to match common print sizes, with 4.5" x 6.5" for a single 4x6 print, 5.5" x 8.5" for a 5x7, and 9" x 12" for larger prints or a small bundled set. A slit inside the pocket keeps the print from sliding out, and the cover can carry a studio logo or a client's name for a more finished handoff.
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A photo folder is a small, portrait-oriented presentation folder built to hold one or more finished prints rather than paperwork. Where a standard presentation folder is sized around a letter-size document, a photo folder is sized around a print. Most commonly 4.5" x 6.5" to fit a 4x6 print with a small border, 5.5" x 8.5" for a 5x7, and up to 9" x 12" for an 8x10 or a small bundled set of prints. A narrow slit or mount corners inside the pocket hold the print in place so it doesn't slide loose when the folder is opened and closed.
Construction is lighter-duty than a full document folder but still relies on a scored center fold and a stiff enough cover stock. Typically a 12pt or heavier cover, or a comparable 100lb cover-weight stock. To protect the print's surface and corners in transit. Coating matters more here than on most folders, since the cover is often the first thing a client sees and handles: gloss brings out color saturation and contrast, while matte gives a softer, more tactile finish that shows fewer fingerprints. Lamination adds a layer of scuff protection for folders that will travel home in a bag or get passed around a family.
Portrait studios, school and yearbook photographers, wedding and event photographers, and photo booth vendors are the core buyers, mainly because handing over a finished print in a branded folder reads as a more complete, professional product than a print alone in an envelope. A folder printed with a studio's name, logo, and contact information also does quiet marketing work every time a client shows the photo to someone else, or reorders using the studio name on the cover.
Choosing a size starts with the print size being delivered. Matching the folder tightly to the print keeps it from shifting inside, while sizing up slightly gives room for a mat border or a second smaller print tucked in alongside. For photographers doing recurring sessions, standardizing on one or two sizes across an entire season simplifies ordering and keeps a consistent look across every client handoff, and ordering ahead of a busy season (school picture days, wedding season, holiday portraits) avoids being caught short on stock during the highest-volume weeks.
The board decides how the finished folder feels in hand and how well it survives repeated use. 10pt to 12pt C1S is standard for a handout that is used once; 14pt is the point most people describe as "sturdy" without feeling like a binder cover. Above 14pt the folder gets harder to fold cleanly without cracking the coating at the score.
Which weight should I ask for? One-time event handout, 10-12pt. A folder clients keep on a desk, 14pt.
Full color (4/4 or 4/0) covers most orders. Where a brand color has to match exactly across reorders (a specific corporate blue, a metallic) we run it as a Pantone spot rather than approximating it from CMYK. Inside panels are usually left unprinted or carry a light pattern, since the pockets and their contents cover most of that surface anyway.
Do I need to print the inside? Rarely worth it, that budget usually does more on cover finishing.
Laminate is a film bonded to the printed sheet, not a varnish. It is what lets a folder survive being opened and closed dozens of times without the corners softening or the color scuffing. Gloss maximizes color pop for a folder that needs to catch attention on a table; matte reads as more restrained and hides fingerprints better in daily handling.
Do I need lamination at all? For a single-use event handout, no. For anything kept and reused, it is the difference between lasting a week and lasting a year.
The fold is scored, not just creased, before it is folded. Pressing a blunt rule into the stock so the fibers bend along a controlled line instead of cracking the coating at random. Skip the score on 14pt or heavier stock and the laminate visibly fractures along the spine on the very first fold.
Why does my folder crack at the fold? Almost always a missed or misplaced score on 14pt or heavier stock. Tell us the exact caliper and we set the score line for it.
Sized to the print rather than to paper, a photo folder holds a finished photograph with a slit rather than a pocket, so the print sits flat and its face is never rubbed by a pocket edge. Because the slit is cut to a specific print dimension, the folder has to be ordered against the print size you actually deliver. A 5×7 slit will not hold a 4×6 securely.
Can one folder take two print sizes? Not from the same slit. If you deliver mixed sizes, order the folder for your most common size and we can quote a second die for the rest.
Ask for samples of any stock on this list before committing to a run.
Maximizes color pop. The right call for a folder meant to stand out on a table.
Kills glare, hides fingerprints. Reads as more restrained and corporate.
A small die cut into one pocket. Standard on most orders, no added cost.
A rounded corner, an angled flap, or a fully custom silhouette, tooling carried into the first order.
Same family, genuinely different jobs. Your current selection is highlighted.
| Folder | From | Construction | Order it when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pocket Folders | $420 | Two side pockets | Everyday branded handouts |
| Presentation Folders | $420 | Two pockets, premium finish | Pitches, proposals, client meetings |
| Legal Folders | $475 | Oversized pockets | Legal-length contracts and filings |
| Custom Folders | $395 | Your layout | Anything standard sizes cannot hold |
| Die-cut Folders | $440 | Custom cut outline | A folder shaped around your brand |
| Certificate Folders | $460 | Corner / ribbon slits | Diplomas, awards, ceremonies |
| File Folders | $530 | Reinforced tab, no pockets | Everyday document filing |
| Photo Folders | $370 | Print slit | Portrait and event photographers |
| Tri Panel Folders | $520 | Three panels | Multi-piece kits |
By the print, not the folder. The slit is cut to hold a specific print dimension securely. A slit sized for a 5×7 will not grip a 4×6. Order against the print size you actually deliver to clients; if you deliver mixed sizes, order for the most common one.
A single slit holds one print flat. If you hand over a set, either order multiple folders or ask us to quote a pocket variant instead of a slit. A pocket takes a small stack but does not hold the top print as flat.
Not if it is cut correctly. The slit takes the corners or one edge only, and the print face never contacts a cut edge. What does mark prints is an undersized slit forcing the corner, which is why the folder has to be ordered against the real print dimension.
Yes, and it is the main reason to use a printed folder over a plain envelope. Cover printing, a foil logo or a blind emboss all work; matte lamination is the usual choice because it does not fight the photograph when the folder is opened.
Pricing for photo folders starts at $370 and moves with quantity, size, material and finish rather than sitting on a fixed list. Setup is shared across the run, so the per-unit price drops steeply as the quantity rises: the gap between a few hundred and a few thousand is usually the significant one. Send the size, quantity and what it has to do and you get a firm figure back, not a range.
There is a practical minimum rather than a hard one. Every run carries artwork checks, a proof and a press setup, so a very small quantity of photo folders prices poorly per unit even though we will still make it. If you are ordering a small batch, ask for pricing at two or three quantities at once: the curve usually shows that a modest increase costs very little more in total.
The clock starts when you approve the proof, not when the order is placed, which is the part most people are surprised by. You get a proof first: artwork checked by a human, die line and score positions set to your caliper, proof issued free. Turnaround after approval depends on the finish: anything laminated, foiled or die-cut adds a stage that cannot be compressed without causing problems later. Tell us the date you actually need them and we will work backwards from it rather than quoting a generic lead time.
Print-ready artwork with bleed and a safe margin, supplied as a PDF, AI or EPS. Because this product is cut to a shape, the file also needs a live vector path for the blade to follow. A JPG or PNG has no outline to cut to, so it has to be redrawn first. If your file is not print-ready, say so when you order. We would rather fix it before the proof than after the run.
Yes. Print slit is the standard build, and the dimensions around it are yours to set. A size that sits efficiently on the press sheet often costs no more than a standard one, while an awkward proportion that wastes half the sheet does. Ask before you commit and we will tell you whether a small change to the dimensions saves a disproportionate amount.
In most cases they are the same product under a different name: the trade uses several terms for it depending on the region and the supplier. What actually defines this one is the build: $370. Order it when print slit. If you have seen it called photo folders printing elsewhere, describe what it has to do rather than which name you found, and we will match the specification.
Yes. We provide free samples, and on photo folders it is worth asking for one, because the difference between coated cover c1s and coated cover c1s is obvious in the hand and invisible on a screen. Most orders run on coated cover c1s, but ask for whichever you are weighing up. You also get a free design proof before anything goes to press, so nothing is printed that you have not seen.
The usual choices are gloss lamination, matte lamination, business card slit. Finish is not decoration on this product so much as a decision about how long it survives and how it reads in the hand, so it is worth choosing against the job rather than the budget. Tell us where the finished piece ends up and we will say which finish is doing real work and which is only adding cost.
Yes, and that is what almost every order here is. Nothing in this catalogue is a stock item: photo folders are manufactured to the specification you give us, with your artwork on them. Send your logo as vector artwork where you have it, since that scales to any size without softening. If all you have is a low-resolution file, tell us and we will say what it needs before it reaches the press.
Yes, and a repeat run is simpler than the first one. We keep your approved specification on file, so a reorder skips the setup decisions and goes straight to production. Where the job used custom tooling, that tooling is reused, which is why a shaped run costs less the second time. Tell us the previous order and we will match it rather than starting the specification again.
Yes. Regalo Print has been producing custom commercial print for businesses across the USA and Canada since 2008, and every order ships tracked. The tracking number reaches you the day the job leaves, not the day it arrives. If you are working to a fixed date, say so when you order so the production schedule is built around the delivery date rather than the other way round.
