Gatefold

Diagram showing how gatefold works.

A gatefold is a certain type of page in a magazine, book, or any sort of printed material that can fold inward, that looks like a gate or a door. Gatefolds are similar but also different to fold out pages. Gatefold pages have panels that fold inward from both sides, which hides part of the books content until you open them. While fold-out pages usually only fold out from one side of the book, forming a single panel. Gatefold are often use for things that require big illustrations and there would be more room on the paper to see stuff but also keep the book concise. You can think of the gatefold like a surprise inside the page, then you wont read until you open it. It's great for keeping information away from the reader until they either finish that page or are instructed in the book to open it.

Gatefold are created by printing a bigger sheet of paper then the book can hold, then folding the page inward so it fits in the book normally. When the reader open the panel, it shows information that was not previously accessible unless opening up the fold. According to Fazli and Assadsolimani, gatefolds in magazines provide “expanded space for visual storytelling and dramatic presentation” (Fazli and Assadsolimani). Gatefolds make the book more exiting than just a normal book because you both do not whats exactly is behind the fold, and also makes the book more interactive for the reader.

Academic contexts

Gatefolds can be useful for academic books as they are able to show more detailed information or have a photo inside the gatefold that can explain what is said in the page with a caption. For example, a gatefold in textbooks can show an image of a certain piece of history that would not have enough room to fit on the page itself without a gatefold. They also let the reader explore the information more interactively to help the information sit in the brain and remember it easier.