Minecraft! Its lovely cubic graphics style makes creating a true-to-game papercraft easy. After an enthusiastic evening run to Staples for paper, I was ready to print and experiment with different paper weights. Unfortunately, their selection wasn’t nearly as good as I wanted, but I still left with three packs. Pack one, intended for general printing and cheapness, was 20lb (75 grams per square meter) cheapo Staples branded print paper. On the other end of the weight spectrum is 176 gsm (65 lb) cardstock. That very heavy weight is most similar to what I used for papercrafting in high school. Since a couple blogs I found recommended “the heaviest paper you can find,” I figured it would be the ideal option. Other resources recommended 100-120 gsm paper, so pack 3 was a 90 gsm (24lb) pack of HP brand paper. Name brand makes a noticeable difference in paper; the HP paper is definitely the smoothest and crispest of the three.[Edit: I realized I got Staples brand paper for a all of these three packs. Later I got some Hammermill, which is really nice.]

As an experiment, I decided to print the same model on two weights of paper to see which I preferred. On the left you can see a cow made with the 90 gsm paper. On the right is the cow from 176 gsm paper. The cow on the left was easier to fold and glue the way I wanted. Look at the legs on the right cow and you can see how much of a gap was left even with clean folding. In the side view, you can see how much of the edges show with the heavier paper.

While the lighter paper is easier to fold and shape, it does have disadvantages. It lets glue seep through more easily than the thicker paper, and is more prone to curling from glue or ink. It also crushes if you look at it wrong, which is only a problem if you have kids or cats (more on that later.) Larger models do better with heavier paper, though that usually means up to 120 gsm (32 lb) rather than 176 gsm. Masks are great in cardstock, especially if you plan to paint or decorate them later.

This blog isn’t the only place I post things (though it’s the only place to see my actual work). I have a Pinterest board where I pin all kinds of papercraft models that I find. It’s my most-followed Pinterest board (for whatever that’s not worth). Pretty much every papercraft I have built or plan to build, plus a few just to admire, will be on that page. Have a look if you want to see my potential future plans. http://pin.it/2gOoLlH