The Origami Forum

ok, let's stat an always interesting discussion about the choice of paper.

what paper do you use for folding? I know, it's always depending on the model you are going to do, but do you prefer a specific kind of paper?

I do fold a lot with thin kraftpaper (37 gramm per square meter) and if I want to fold a less complex and more plastic model, I use foiled paper (which I make by my own).

lately I made (again) the experience, that the wrong decision of paper is a big reason why a folding process could fail. did you made the same experiences?

Well usually I use kami for projects of a simple-complex nature,tissue foil or foil paper for higher complex models,and computer paper for my prototyping process when creating models,for wet folding I use this paper I got from the wal-mart crafts section for scapbooking(I forget the name,but its roughly 3 bucks and comes at 10" square in five colors with 25 sheets)
JW

Until a few years ago, the only paper I used was just plain printer paper. I remember I managed to get hold of 24 sheets of Kami.. i worshipped them - I only used them for special models and the pack lasted me three years (!).

Then once I started going to the conventions I saw what a wide variety of paper was available. I bought a few packs, and very rarely use printer paper now (only for Jeff Beynons Spring into Action).

I have only recently started making my own tissue foil, which has helped a lot - even Lang's butterfly became a piece of cake!

saj

I almost always use foil wrap or tissue foil for complex models these days. A few years back I would use kami, Kraft Skin or Bemiss-Jason Fadeless Duet for complex stuff, but a lot of the models I folded back then have "splurged" horribly (i.e. the folds have gradually started to open up) or else never looked that good in the first place.

I wetfold sometimes, with heavier papers like Canson or Elephant Hide. Wetfolding isn't as awkward as it's sometimes made out to be - if you haven't tried it yet, it's worth a go.

Memo pad squares or coloured printer paper are fine for modulars.

Springy paper like Kraft Skin and some types of gift wrap is good for boxes, modulars and a few complex models where springiness is actually an advantage - like the Max Hulme Jack-in-a-box, the Jun Maekawa peacock and the Chris Palmer flower tower.

i fold with what ever i can get my filthy, grubby hands on!

I love using foil with tissue paper but I hate making it

I mainly use washi and recently brought my first pack of Tant.

I usually use kami, large foil I got from Blick's, or do test folds with wrapping paper for intermediate - super complex models. If I find anything better for Super-C models that I don't have to wait two months for (origami shop), I use it. I have also recently been using tracing paper for things like snowflakes and insects. BTW does anyone know where to get good size paper for Kamiya's ryu zin 3.5?

Baking paper is a good choice

cranemaster366 wrote:... BTW does anyone know where to get good size paper for Kamiya's ryu zin 3.5?

I would not recommend you even thinking about folding ryuzin after looking through your flickr. No offence to you, but most of your folds are extremely messy and you're folding models that are way too complex for you. i recommmend folding a lot of models by authors such as maekawa and komatsu whose models take time and most importantly precision to finish well.

I mostly use one sided paper, I think it is kami but I'm not sure, I do have packs of patterened paper as well. I love baking paper it is beautiful (but I hate cutting squares, I need to learn to make it easier).

Anonymous Person: Many of my models are last minuute designs or test folds that I never care to refold. I have tons of models I am also just too lazy to post. I realize my models are not that great, and that I'm not ready to fold a ryu zin, but I just want ot know where I can get that size of a square, I mean 2 meters is really huge and hard to find. The papers I have recently used are pretty low-quality and give me models that look stupid and are nearly impossible to shape. I will try to get everything looking better soon .

Anyways, temporarily forgetting the first part, I also made tissue foil a while ago, but it looked really bad. I like using foil most of all, but it certainly has disadvantages. I like to try new paper, but usually don't figure out a good way to work with it until I nearly run out .

In Singapore, it is pretty hard to get good quality paper, but i can sometimes get tant and other japanese papers.

Personally, i like duo-colored tant, the special tissue foil from origami-shop and unryuu tissue.

Unryu works best for me.

I don't fold very complex things, so copy paper works great for me. Occasionally I will use kami or washi.

Mostly I use kami, but I like mixing paper as well, IDK, If I like it I like it. Sometimes I use kami with wasi paper, I just like it if it looks good to me.

I once bought some paper that came on a big sheet, it was opalescent, for only $1.39. ea. I kick myself because I only got one sheet and when I went back to the store, it had gone out of business. You can find it in 6'' squares but you only get 8 sheets for $6.00. Still kicking my foot over that one.

I like sparkly & bright colors, & for some reason orange has been an obsession with me lately (the color of the moment).