In prepress, an actual-size press sheet which has been folded into pages of the desired size and marked with page numbers to indicate the proper page imposition. The folding dummy also indicates where the gripper margin is, an allowance for which needs to be made.
Often, in design and layout for print media, folding dummies are created in miniature to plan for a publication's structure, content, and visual continuity. A magazine dummy, for example, would mock up and clarify which articles are on which pages, where the ads are to be placed, and how the reader might view or navigate through that issue. Dummies created during collaborative layout and design staff meetings show who is responsible for which articles, images, ads, or sections. Folding dummies serve as annotated, three-dimensional storyboards, preventing many common errors in the production workflow.