It’s relatively thin, brightly colored (most packages contain an assortment of colors), and, conveniently, it is already cut to square. I regularly get asked, “do you have to use that special Japanese origami paper that comes in the little square packages?” It’s true, there is paper made especially for origami, and most art or craft stores carry it. But airmail paper is very similar-thin, crisp, and strong-and email has yet to kill it off. Although I’m still working on the first 1000-sheet ream of manifold that I ever bought, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen it in stationery stores. Alas, multicarbon forms seem to be a casualty of the commercial photocopier. Manifold paper was quite thin (9 lb., using the American system of paper weights see here for conversions), but unlike newsprint and magazine paper, it was crisp and took creases nicely. Second Sheet, Manifold, and Airmail Paperįor many years, my paper of choice was a type called “second sheet” or “manifold.” These names came from the days before copy machines, when business forms came in packets of several sheets with carbon paper between the layers, so that when you filled out the form you were making multiple copies. They have two big weaknesses: they are weak (and so tear easily), and even worse, they don’t hold creases very well at all. But if you try them out, you’ll find that magazine paper and newsprint are really lousy papers for origami. Both are tempting, particularly because they are generally much thinner than copy paper. Magazine and NewsprintĮven more ubiquitous than copy paper is magazine paper and newsprint. But as the world of origami has progressed over the last few decades, the complexity of origami designs has grown, and for many designs-and almost everything I compose these days-copy paper is just too thick. ![]() It takes a crease nicely and doesn’t easily wrinkle. And all it needs is to be cut (or torn) to square, and you’re ready to fold.įor simple folds, copy paper works very well. Nowadays, the equivalent paper would be copy paper-used or unused. One of the things that first attracted me to origami as a child was that the tools were all around me all I needed were my hands and a sheet of paper, and I could find paper anywhere! For many years, I used pads of obsolete business forms from my Dad’s business, cut to square. On this page, I’ll talk a little bit about the most common types of paper for origami and my own experiences with them. There is no single answer it depends on what you’re folding. Learn how to choose the right paper for your skill and purpose.I am often asked what kind of paper to use for origami.
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