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Paper and Other Materials Used in Origami
Home » Arts & Crafts » Origami » Paper and Other Materials Used in OrigamiAlthough almost any laminar material can be used for folding, the choice of material used greatly affects the folding and final look of the model.
Normal copy paper with weights of 70–90 gsm can be used for simple folds, such as the crane and water bomb. Heavier weight papers of 100 gsm or more can be wet folded. This technique allows for a more rounded sculpting of the model, which becomes rigid and sturdy when dry.
Kami is sold in prepackaged squares of various sizes ranging from 2.5 cm to 25 cm or more. It is commonly colored on one side and white on the other; however, duo colored kami and patterned kami exist and can be used effectively for color-changed models. The weight of kami is slightly less than that of copy paper, making it suitable for a wider range of models.
Foil-backed paper, just as its name implies, is a sheet of thin foil adhered to a sheet of thin paper. Related to this is tissue foil, which is made by gluing a thin piece of tissue to kitchen aluminum foil. A second piece of tissue can be glued onto the reverse side to produce a tissue/foil/tissue sandwich. Foil-backed paper is available commercially but not tissue foil. Both types of foil materials are suitable for complex models.
Artisan papers such as unryu, lokta, hanji, gampi, kozo, and saa have long fibers and are often extremely strong. As these papers are floppy to start with, they are often back coated or resized with methylcellulose or wheat paste before folding. Also, these papers are extremely thin and compressible, allowing for thin, narrowed limbs as in the case of insect models.
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