What kind of printer do you use for papercrafting?

Here's a question (well, 2 actually) that I would like to ask all papercrafters:

1. Which brand and model printer do you use?
2. Are you able to use thicker* paper / cardstock with that printer?

* Have you only tried regular printer paper (thin 75-80 gsm paper) or are you able to use thicker 120-160 gsm, or 200-220 gsm paper as well without your printer complaining?

Myself, I have an HP Photosmart D7160 (like the one in the picture above);

It's an inkjet printer and I always use 200 gsm paper for making papercrafts. That's 2.5 times as thick as regular printer paper, but it feeds through without problems, and makes my papercrafts very sturdy. ;o)

I hope many papercrafters will share their experiences with printers for papercraft, you can do by leaving a comment below please.

Thank you in advance! ;o)

(and you can stay anonymous if you want to of course; you don't need to have a Blogger account or log in to leave a comment on my papercraft weblog! ;o)

Papercraft is fun!

The results are in: papercraft is fun! ;o)

Papercraft webpoll: Why do you build papercraft models?

Why do you build papercraft models?

You can choose more than one answer, but you can only vote once! To have a figurine of my favourite video game/cartoon/movie/etc. For fun as a regular pastime. Only out of boredom. Other (don't hesitate to tell us in the comments! ;o) Current Results

New webpoll: cut out all the parts at once or one at a time?

Like it says:

Cut out one part at a time or all at once?

Do you... cut out all the parts at once before you start glueing? cut out only a few parts at once while building? cut out only one part at a time when you need it as you go along? Current Results

Looking at the previous webpoll, I think it's not surprising that most votes went to video game models and cartoon/anime models:

I think a lot of papercrafters are originally gamers, and many of the best ones are heavily influenced by (Japanese) cartoons/anime so it's no surprise they like those too. ;o)

And of course, science fiction has always been a very popular papercraft subject! ;o)

What was a bit surprising (to me at least) is that the collectable/urban paper toys scored so low!

They actually seem to be very popular, but maybe with a different audience. Or maybe it's mostly the paper toys based on video games and cartoons or movies instead of the original ones that are the most popular, and people voted for them in the other categories?

Whatever it is, there are so many of them for a reason of course! ;o)

Have fun building!

New webpoll: what kind of papercraft models do you like?

This time, you can select multiple answers (but you can only vote once! ;o)

What kind of papercraft models do you like?

Paper models of... aircraft/helicopters real animals anime/cartoons boats buildings/architecture cars/vehicles collectable/urban papertoys science-fiction real space rockets and ships military/tanks trains/trams video games 1:1 scale props (weapons etc.) other/... Current Results

Personally, I have a lot of different interests, so I like all kinds of paper models (which is probably why my to do-list is so long... ;o)

The results of last time's papercraft webpoll (did you ever start a papercraft model that you ended up finding too difficult to make?) might surprise a lot of people, I think:
More than three quarters (7,6 out of 10 people) have at least once started a paper model they like, but found too difficult too finish!

That's *a lot*!

Most of them, though (5,6 out of 10 people in total) kept the parts to try again later, maybe when they have more time, or they want to get a little more experience first.

I think still a lot of people are often surprised at themselves when they find out how dedicated and focused they can really be when they sit down and concentrate on building a paper model of their favourite hero.

And even if you don't succeed at first, or if it takes too long right now, you can always keep the parts in a safe place to pick it up again later, or you can print out the parts anew if you found the model online.

I hope the people that didn't save the parts, didn't give up on papercraft completely, though!

There are a lot of paper models out there, so there are sure to be a lot that you *will* find fun to build too! ;o)

New webpoll: unfinished builds

Sometimes you come across a great papercraft model, only to find that it's much more difficult and time consuming than you thought...

Or have you yet to find a paper model you couldn't build? ;o)

Did you ever...

...start a papercraft model that you ended up finding too difficult to make? No, I haven't found a model I couldn't build yet! Yes, and I threw away the parts. Yes, but I kept the parts to try again later. Current Results

Since some people like building lots of small and simple models, while others prefer building only big and complex models, it wouldn't really be fair to compare last poll's results (and papercraft isn't a race anyway! ;o)

So I think really the only conclusion we can draw from last time's webpoll, seeing how many models most people built, is that papercraft is a really fun and addictive hobby! ;o)



Have fun building!

New webpoll: how many paper models have you built?

I've been a serious papercrafter for quite a while now so I've built quite a few models already.

My recently released Paper Mario 3D was my 100th model, and before that, I also built several models that I found online for free, which is what inspired me to start making my own. ;o)

Of course some people like building just a few big and complex models, while others enjoy making lots of small ones. So: how many paper models have you built so far? ;o)

How many...

...paper models have you built so far? None. 1-10 11-20 21-50 51-100 100+ Current Results

Concerning the previous poll, 155 people have voted again and I was even a little bit surprised with the results! ;o)

Although personally I prefer using a knife and most people that leave me a message or e-mail me tell me they use a hobby knife as well, in the poll you can see that quite a lot of people use scissors too! ;o)

Most people that use scissors, use small ones of course like nail scissors or special, tiny scissors from a craft's store, but even then, many people still use a knife for very detailed or difficult cuts.



What about you? ;o)

Have fun voting!

New webpoll: knife or scissors?

I've always used an X-Acto knife with a #11 Classic Fine Point blade since I started papercrafting, but what do you use? ;o)

Knife or scissors?

What cutting tool do you prefer? Knife only. Scissors only. Mostly a knife, sometimes scissors. Mostly scissors, sometimes a knife. Cutting plotter machine. Current Results

It seems that an overwhelming majority of voters on last time's webpoll ("where are you from?") are from North America, with Europe (where I live ;o) coming in second.

As you can see, people from all over the world enjoy papercraft as a hobby, and I hope you do too: have fun!

New webpoll: where are you from?

Not a papercraft related poll per se this time, but I literally get messages from papercrafters all over the world (that's not a complaint btw! ;o) so I'm curious: where are *you* from?

Where are you from?

Where are you from? Africa Asia Australia/New Zealand Europe North America Russia South America Current Results

(I'm from the Netherlands, btw ;o)


Last time's webpoll ("How did you get into papercrafting?") got a lot of reactions again:
Not only from voters, but also on the Papermodels II Google group: of course there are many more ways people might have stumbled across papercraft than just these 4; I think probably almost everybody has made their own toy car, castle or dollhouse from a cardboard box as a kid! ;o)

A lot of people seem to loose interest in papercraft when they get older, though, until they happen to come across it again when searching the internet for the latest news about their favourite videogame, or television show, or whatever it is they're fan of!

(At least that's how I got suckered into papercrafting again - not that I mind, though... ;o)

But in the end, from most of the comments that I got, I think people get into papercraft because it's just so much fun of course! ;o)

New papercraft webpoll: what got you started papercrafting?

Like it says: what got you started on papercraft? ;o)

What got you started?

How did you get into papercrafting? I read about it in a magazine. A friend told me about it. I read about it on an online forum. I found out about it by accident when looking for something completely different. Current Results

Don't hesititate to tell us a bit more about your choice in the comments after voting!

Concerning the last poll, I think the results speak for themselves! ;o)

With 187 votes, a lot of people like papercraft as a new hobby, but very big and time consuming models are only for the really diehard builders. ;o)

But that's very understandable, I think; most people seem to get drawn into papercraft by making paper models of their favourite game/TV/movie series and so on, so with all their other hobbies, they simply don't have the time to be papercrafting all their spare time! ;o)

Keep on building!

New papercraft webpoll: which kind of papercraft builder are you?

I'll be building Mario this week, but in the meantime, I thought of a new webpoll question to bug you with:

Which kind are you?

Which kind of papercraft builder are you? A pastime builder (only builds quick and simple models when they're very bored) A casual builder (finds papercraft fun, just not all the time) A serious builder (always on the lookout for new, interesting models to build after this one) A diehard builder (spends all their time building paper models and preferably only the most complex ones) Current Results

As always, don't hesitate to tell a bit more about your choice in the comments after voting!

On the last poll, 133 papercrafters voted. By far most of them seem to have their paper models displayed on their desk or bookshelf, which is also the main reason why I make my own models. ;o)

A lot of people have also discovered that a paper model makes a nice gift to a friend as something tangible from their favourite videogame/television show/movie/whatever! ;o)

Keep on building! ;o)

Papercraft weight poll results + new poll!

This time, a hundred people voted on what kind of paper they like to use for papercrafting!

I was a bit surprised at how many people use the same, 180-200 gsm paper that I like to use, because usually, people tell me they use something a little thinner. ;o)

100-120 gsm seems to be a good runner up, but lots of people also seem to use regular printer paper, and although photo-/glossy paper may give a nice, shiny finish to your paper models, it doesn't seem to be very widely used amongst the people that voted...

You can still vote on the old polls if you haven't done so already, and if you did, here's a new question for you:

"What do you do with your paper models after making them?"

Don't hesitate to tell us a bit more about your choice in the comments!

Have fun voting!

Poll results + new poll !

The old poll is still open to new voters, but with over a hundred votes already, I think we can say that most people can balance papercraft with their other activities pretty well (except for maybe the one or two people that seem to papercraft even in their sleep... ;o)

So here's a new poll for you:
What kind of paper do you use for papercrafting?

Don't hesitate to tell us a bit more about your choice in the comments!

Have fun voting!

Are you a papercraft addict?

Papercraft can be a very time consuming hobby, but exactly *how* time consuming is it for you? Click the link and tell us!

Are you a papercraft addict?