DIY Envelope Instructions To Fit Any Greeting Card

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Square overhead feature photo of a square brown kraft paper envelope being folded around a square birthday card that has a pink sprinkled donut and says 'Have a Sweet Birthday!' On a black background is a wood ruler and X-Acto knife.

Use these DIY envelope instructions to make envelopes that fit any greeting card size. Whether you’ve made a handmade card or printed one of our free printables, these simple guidelines will help you create a custom envelope that fits perfectly.

How to make a DIY Envelope

This is not an exact science, but I’ve made several envelopes by using this measurement guideline:

If you card is a rectangle: Make an envelope by cutting a square piece of paper that measures 3″ larger than your cards longest side.

For example, if your greeting card is 5″ x 7″, you would use a 10″ x 10″ square piece of paper for your envelope.

If your card is square: Make an envelope by cutting a square piece of paper that measures 4″ larger.

For example, if your card is 7″ x 7″ then you need a square sheet of paper that measures 11″ x 11″.

Photo of a kraft paper envelope being made for a 5x7 card. The square cut craft paper is shown in a diamond position with the card in the center shown horizontally with a closeup of a wood ruler that shows that the craft paper had been cut into a 10" x 10" square.
Use a 10″ x 10″ sheet of paper to make an envelope for a 5″ x 7″ Card.

The birthday card shown below is one of our free printables. The folded card size is 5″ x 5″, so I started with a 9″ x 9″ square piece of paper. I used craft brown paper, but you could use any paper you have on hand.

Start with an 8" x 8" sheet of paper. Position the paper like a diamond and place the folded card in the center. Fold all four corners in using the sides of the card as a guide. Unfold the paper and snip triangle corners where folds overlap. Fold the two side flaps in. Add glue to the bottom flap to complete your envelope.
Envelope for a 5″ x 5″ card.
Star divider used has two hand drawn lines with a star in the center, used as a content break and signals new or different content below. This doodle style illustration is in a medium charcoal gray.

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