How to Fold an A1 Drawing to A4 – Step-by-Step + Diagram

Last updated July 25, 2026

An A1 drawing folds down to an A4 sheet in four folds — three concertina folds across the length, one across the height — finishing with the title block facing up so the drawing can be identified without unfolding it. The diagram below shows the sequence, and the written steps follow underneath.

Why the sizes work out

An A1 sheet is 841 × 594 mm. An A4 sheet is 210 × 297 mm. The arithmetic is what makes the method tidy:

• The 841 mm length divides into four panels of about 210 mm (4 × 210 = 840 mm)
• The 594 mm height folds exactly in half to 297 mm

Four panels across, one fold down: A4.

How to fold an A1 drawing to A4, step by step

1. Lay the print face up on a flat surface, with the title block in the bottom right-hand corner where it normally sits.
2. Fold the sheet in half across its height, bottom edge up to the top edge, so the 594 mm becomes 297 mm. Keep the title block on the outside face — if it disappears inside, you have folded the wrong way.
3. Concertina the length into 210 mm panels, working from the left-hand edge towards the title block: fold the first panel forward, the next one back, and so on, zig-zag fashion.
4. Finish on the title block panel. The last fold should leave the title block panel on top, facing up.
5. Check the result: a 210 × 297 mm bundle, A4 size, with the drawing number and title readable without opening anything.

Why fold it this way?

1. The result is a handy A4 sheet size — it files, posts and hole-punches like any other document.
2. A concertina fold opens and closes more easily than folding the sheet in on itself, and it survives repeated handling on site.
3. The drawing title is on the front, so you do not have to open the entire thing to see what the drawing is.

Folding other sheet sizes

The same principle scales to the rest of the ISO A series — concertina the length into 210 mm panels, then fold the height down to 297 mm, always finishing on the title block:

• A0 (1189 × 841 mm) — folds to A4 in more panels, and is bulky enough that it is usually rolled instead
• A1 (841 × 594 mm) — four panels across, one fold down, as above
• A2 (594 × 420 mm) — three panels across, one fold down
• A3 (420 × 297 mm) — a single fold in half gives you A4

If you need the full sheet dimensions, see our paper sizes reference charts, and if you are setting up the sheets themselves, the free title block templates cover A0 through A4 for both AutoCAD and Revit.