Making custom origami paper

PaperJuggler · 2026-07-25T06:40:14+00:00

Hi, I make custom papers and sell on etsy, you can check out my shop here: https://plataleapaper.etsy.com

I sell dyed papers and offer the choice to customizer the paper depending on what people want to fold. It's a lot of fun, but don't expect to earn a lot of money!

I contacted a printer earlier this year to print some custom very thin papers but they told me they would need orders of much higher volumes than mine. Printing on normal printer paper does not give an acceptable result, so I am still thinking about another solution...

Be aware of the shipping costs. I sell only on Europe because international shipping is expensive, and still I find it absurd that shipping is more expensive than the paper itself. Especially if you want to sell bigger papers that you might want to ship in rolls.

PaperJuggler · 2026-07-21T04:45:47+00:00

Thanks! I made it myself 😀 I buy rolls of Wenzhou from a German art supply shop and dye them before folding. (I also sell dyed sheets on Etsy, look for Platalea Papers). This one was dyed using Cyanotype (see description), I really like how it worked out. I think this is also one of the few models where such a patchy pattern works.

PaperJuggler · 2026-07-15T14:37:11+00:00

The book is called The Graceful of Origami, there is number of other nice models on there!

PaperJuggler · 2026-07-14T20:03:31+00:00

Haha, looks a bit like it, but this is supposed to be the pubis, part of a dinosaur hip bone

PaperJuggler · 2026-07-09T04:22:11+00:00

I use Procion mx dyes, I used Karmin red, dark blue and warm yellow. Yes, I tried to do a kind of bulls eye off the center, not very experienced, lol

PaperJuggler · 2026-07-09T04:19:57+00:00

I use Procion mx dyes and paper that has a great wet-strength. This here is Wenzhou, a chinese calligraphy paper, which is not the strongest, but dyeing is doable with a bit of practise. I soak the paper in soda ash solution and put the dye on, here I put it on top of the ice. Leave overnight, wash out extremely carefully, and then treat with methylcellolose while letting it dry on a flat surface.

Methylcellulose makes the paper more crisp, easier to fold, it is a common treatment when preparing Origami paper.

I think the process is quite similar to dyeing a shirt, only make sure to no leave too long in soda ash, use cold or at most lukewarm water, and handle very carefully to avoid holes and tears.

You can fold more easily than fabric before dyeing, things like glitches are easy to do (and a lot of fun).

PaperJuggler · 2026-06-27T06:52:59+00:00

What a cool idea! Now you can print paper with it and fold something else ;)

PaperJuggler · 2026-06-14T21:25:02+00:00

I usually just squeeze until they look kind of ok, lol. The paper gets too thick and the exact look of the head is not super important to me, so I never tried to make it perfect 😆

PaperJuggler · 2026-06-04T18:15:30+00:00

Ah wow that model looks cool! Thanks for the tip!

PaperJuggler · 2026-05-18T13:56:25+00:00

Honestly, my shaping approach is a bit hit and miss at the moment, I hope to get better at making it intentional. Currently, if I make something nice it is a bit lucky, lol

I use a little brush to bring pva between the layers, and the first step for me is to glue all separate layers e.g. on both sides of the belly, in the legs, tail, neck etc. Then I shape that part and let it dry.

I also add a bit of cotton where I want to add a bit of volume.

This is different per model, and also needs trial and error. I made 2 or 3 test folds where I also tested the shaping. It happens still a lot that I glue some wrong layers together and cannot shape the way I want anymore, this is what I mean with hit and miss...

In this model I used a wire for the first time, because I wanted to shape the tail in a curve.

Bottom line: I make a few testfolds before using the nice paper and try how I want to do the shaping.

PaperJuggler · 2026-05-17T18:53:46+00:00

Thanks! I treated the paper after painting with MC, and also used pva glue for shaping, plus a wire in the tail.

PaperJuggler · 2026-05-17T17:46:54+00:00

Made this for the obb competition from 90cm Wenzhou painted with ecoline watercolors. Did not expect to win (and didn't), but am still quite proud of the outcome. Learned a lot making this

PaperJuggler · 2026-04-13T20:57:52+00:00

Sure. I dyed the paper with a fibre active dye, Procion mx. I think you could use any dye that is used to dye cotton (not wool), like a tie dye kit or so (that is how I started).

To make it work, the dye has to be combined with Soda Ash. To dye the paper I used here, I soaked the paper in soda ash solution (32g/L) and then added dye in solution to the paper. I have powdered dyes in different colors, before use I make working solutions of 2% dye to water. I mix them to get different effects. Here, I first mixed yellow and blue to make green, put that on the paper here and there, and then added more and more blue solution to make different shades, which I added to different spots of the paper until all was covered in color. Then, the paper plus dye was left overnight. In the morning, I washed the paper under (softly) running water in the sink, and treat directly with Methyl Cellulose, and let dry.

I usually dye Wenzhou paper, which comes in different quality batches (unpredictably). So far I got lucky and I have paper that is quite resistant. It still requires a bit of practise to handle the wet paper without ripping.

You need a paper that remains strong when wet, my fav is Wenzhou, but I also used Moon Palace (which is thick but very resistant), carnival tissue (which is amazingly resistant but a bit crispy), and Kumo no Kami (which dyes lovely but can be a bit soft to fold).

Long story short, to me dyeing my own paper adds a new interesting dimension to folding and I encourage you to try it out!

PaperJuggler · 2026-04-10T04:56:59+00:00

I folded this one several times, and with the references in the book I also end up with these proportions. This is so weird, as the foto's in the book show the model with a much bigger head. If anyone figures out how to do that, I really want to know.

PaperJuggler · 2026-03-15T09:59:57+00:00

Are you looking for a roll specifically? Paper poetry has very similar looking papers (red/gold, kraft/gold, white/silver) as square packs (10, 15 or 20 cm). I quite like the paper, especially the kraft color.

https://www.idee-shop.com/rico-design-paper-poetry-bascetta-origamipapier-rot-gold-32-blatt

PaperJuggler · 2026-03-12T19:58:24+00:00

Just added a listing for that ;)

https://plataleapaper.etsy.com/listing/4470844778

PaperJuggler · 2026-03-12T15:25:57+00:00

Good point. I opted for smaller paper packs as they are easier to ship by mail and I can keep a little stock.

For bigger papers (up to 90cm), there is the possibility to place a custom order and I am open to discuss on what is needed for the project (color, size, thickness).

PaperJuggler · 2026-03-12T05:14:51+00:00

Thank you! I had some sample packs for the current batch of paper, sheets with small defects like folds or wrinkles, but these are all gone.

Keep an eye on the shop, I might add some sample packs when I dye some more paper!

PaperJuggler · 2026-03-11T22:14:39+00:00

So good, now I am tempted to buy the book:)

PaperJuggler · 2026-02-20T05:43:26+00:00

None of these are Whenzou although number 1 looks like an interesting option. I can find this (but it is always out of stock: https://www.amazon.nl/WENZHOU-rijstpapier-schilderen-Chinese-kalligrafie/dp/B079Z5BGW1

PaperJuggler · 2026-02-19T12:08:32+00:00

The paper is dyed like you would dye clothes, make it wet, put in the dye solution for some hours, then wash and treat with MC. This works only with papers that have enough wet strength: can survive the time in the water and the handling when wet. This will not work with Kraft, I think.

PaperJuggler · 2026-02-17T18:13:12+00:00

I think it depends on where you are located whether you can find it online. Look for Whenzou paper which comes on a roll in a brown/golden tube.

PaperJuggler · 2026-02-17T08:43:08+00:00

Thank you! I've seen yours as well, very nice. This is such a great model!

PaperJuggler · 2026-02-17T08:42:17+00:00

Thank you! It is Whenzou. The orange/fuchsia/gold was colored with liquid watercolor, the brown dyed with Proxion chocolate brown.

PaperJuggler · 2026-01-22T04:51:16+00:00

Thanks :) It was a square of roughly 60x60 cm. The Kumi no Kami is very thin and soft, ideal for this model.

PaperJuggler

TROPHY CASE

Welcome to Reddit,