The lever arch folder was invented was invented by Louis Leitz in 1896. It is used for office work, by students and for A4-size storage of personal documents. A lever arch folder is usually made from plastic or paper formed into a hard surface. A central piece of equipment are the two rings onto which papers are placed for storage, the rings can be opened and closed for the insertion and removal of papers at any time.

Things You Will Need

  • Lever arch file

  • Hole punch

  • Paper

Sort out the papers to be filed within the lever arch folder on a desk or flat surface. Papers can be stored in any required order, such as numerical, alphabetical or chronological order. Open the folder to insert the papers into it.

Punch holes into the paper documents if none are in the correct position using a hole punch. Fold the paper in half and line up the fold mark with the center of the hole punch to get two holes positioned around the center of the document.

Unlock the central locking clip on the ring in the center of the lever arch folder and flip the lock to the unused side of the folder. Pull the metal rings apart to allow access to the rings for storing papers.

Place the holes punched into the documents over the metal rings on the side of the folder that does not contain the locking clip. Insert papers and push the rings together.

Flip the locking clip to the side with the papers so it is positioned on top of the papers to be stored, press the locking mechanism on the file down to hold the papers firmly in place. Close the lever arch folder and store.

Tip

For a filing system, paper markers can be used to differentiate between the types of documents stored in the folder.