Questions tagged [paper]

For questions about the selection, use and characteristics of paper in arts and crafts.

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6 votes
5 answers
753 views

Paintable tape for joining paper or cardboard?

Is there a suitable tape for permanently joining pieces of cardboard or paper together, that can then have paint (or other finish) applied to it just as it could to the paper/card itself? I’ve been ...
3 votes
3 answers
349 views

How to temporary stick paper/card together so it can be removed later without tearing and too much residue

I am making a display/collage and need to stick some art works to mounting card to then be displayed in a frame. However, it is highly like I'll want to rearrange or reuse the works in a different ...
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1 vote
0 answers
46 views

Sulfite drawing paper is different shades on each side [closed]

strong text I am trying to figure out why one side of the paper is different then the other. Any ideas?
  • 11
1 vote
2 answers
72 views

Old Trunk Preservation vs Restoration

I’ve an old trunk which is covered on the outside with paper or maybe thin printed canvas. Parts of paper are flaking off. I am seeking preservation rather that replacing the paper. I want to keep the ...
  • 11
3 votes
1 answer
58 views

Are case-bound books sized to the number of pages they contain?

Context for this question is that we're thinking of using a hard-cover book as a guestbook for an upcoming wedding. We would be putting polaroid pictures inside this guestbook. The hard-cover book is ...
  • 133
9 votes
4 answers
2k views

Is laminating books with adhesive plastic film a bad idea (and why)?

An earlier question, How can I laminate with contact paper without leaving bubbles?, asked about covering books with adhesive contact paper, presumably to provide some protection. The image in the ...
  • 11.4k
4 votes
2 answers
209 views

Is GSM a "constant" unit irrespective of what the paper is intended to be used for?

I just bought a 260 GSM photo paper (it is used to get photographs printed). But I was really surprised to find out that it feels thinner as compared to my 250 GSM art papers. I expected that it would ...
  • 363
3 votes
1 answer
95 views

What was this holder, made from paper, used for?

I found this is at the house of a deceased relative (IOW asking the former owner is not possible for obvious, sad, reasons). I slid a "Get out of jail free" card into it to illustrate what I ...
  • 33
2 votes
2 answers
69 views

What sort of paper is "The Dark Pool" album cover made of?

I am trying to create something akin to this album cover to hang on my wall. I'm not at all sure that the original was created this way, and maybe the cover is not even a photo of a physical object ...
  • 123
5 votes
3 answers
2k views

What does 'mil' mean when measuring thickness?

I asked a question about transparencies, and while doing research for it, I found a lot of websites mentioned their products were N mil thickness. What does mil mean when talking about the thickness ...
  • 1,041
0 votes
0 answers
31 views

What paper type should be used for charcoal drawing? [duplicate]

I have problems in blending and getting smooth texture when I use my charcoal pencil on a Monte Marte Jumbo Drawing Pad. I have Strathmore but yet to try it out.
3 votes
2 answers
140 views

How can I mount a painting paper onto wood?

I have an oil painting - done on oil painting paper - which I would like to mount onto wood (plywood or solid). How can I achieve an archival bound of paper to wood? I'm especially interested in the ...
  • 1,140
4 votes
1 answer
98 views

How to achieve sharp straight white margins on rough watercolor paintings?

I am looking for ways to create razor sharp edges of watercolor paintings. I provided an exeample that I found online from a paper manufacturer. Was wondering how on earth they managed to stop the ...
  • 143
1 vote
1 answer
52 views

Borderless printing on DIN A6

For my project I would like to print small cardstock cards (250-300g/m^2) roughly size of DIN A7. Now it is almost impossible to find paper and printers for that format, so I figured I will use DIN A6 ...
  • 111
9 votes
4 answers
994 views

Future-proofing paper and ink letter

I would like to write a letter, in the present, addressed to my children in the future (no sad reasons involved; I just thought it would be nice to share my emotions of a new parent directly with my ...
  • 201
2 votes
2 answers
71 views

Solutions or suggestions for removing and preserving label from canned good?

Does anybody have any solutions/suggestions for removing a paper label, whole and undamaged, from a metal can? About the only thing I can think of is heat to try to soften, if possible, the glue. (...
1 vote
1 answer
81 views

What is Goldline? Is it a paper? A manufacturer?

I often see/have owned sketchbooks from various brands that are described as 'Goldline'. What is Goldline? Is it a type of paper? A specific weight? A manufacturer?
1 vote
1 answer
64 views

How do you make a Noteboard?

I'm interested in making a Noteboard. It is a whiteboard that folds to pocket size. The image shows what's sold as a bundle of the whiteboard in the background plus a carrying pouch and some dry-...
2 votes
2 answers
91 views

What are the best mediums for creating a collage?

Semi-newb crafter here. I have a few years worth of old calendars I ordered with photos of our animals and family on heavy card-stock paper. My plan is to use an X-Acto knife, cut the photos out, and ...
  • 125
2 votes
1 answer
163 views

Are all plastic erasers not recommended or harmful for non-smooth papers like a casual sketchbook?

I read an answer here which says: If you are doing technical drawings on a smooth, heavyweight paper, or paper with a "shiny" surface due to size, plastic erasers will be the way to go most ...
  • 363
4 votes
1 answer
96 views

Can dried glitter be smoothed?

I glittered a poster board using Mod Podge. Now that it is dried I notice unevenness on it. Is there a way to smooth out dried glitter on a large poster board?
  • 41
5 votes
1 answer
403 views

Difference between cut edge and deckle edge paper

I'm about to buy paper on the internet, and the only difference I see between cut edge and deckle(d) edge paper is the price: deckle edge paper is a little more expensive than cut edge paper. What is ...
  • 53
2 votes
1 answer
130 views

Paper's preservation (fixative not working)

Apparently, my (acid-free) paper (from 'SoHo Studio'; shown below) is yellowing, I have Krylon Workable Fixatif Spray Coating. Obviously, fixatives prevent this issue to happen, what should I do? Is ...
  • 701
2 votes
3 answers
267 views

Repeatedly cutting 44mm circles from paper

I'm making badges, so need to cut 44mm circles out of photo paper. I'm currently using sharp scissors and being careful, but that obviously takes a fair amount of time, and doesn't give perfect ...
5 votes
1 answer
75 views

How can I best repair or protect this torn cover?

I recently received a large hardback book I ordered online, only to find it was damaged during the mail process. There's a tear in the cover just on the back edge of the spine. It's not a huge tear, ...
5 votes
4 answers
318 views

How can I clean a paper model?

I am a paper craft artist. I make 3D pepakura models. While making the models, if the model is made of white paper, it becomes a little bit dirty because of glue stains. Also, over time, because of ...
  • 319
4 votes
2 answers
277 views

Adhesive for very old newspaper

I have just found a moon map published in the UK newspaper The Daily Mail from 1969, which I saved because of the first moon landing and an abiding interest in astronomy. However, it's been folded up ...
  • 41
0 votes
1 answer
310 views

Best Pen for Maths? [closed]

I'm a maths undergrad and I am looking for a very smooth pen that's good for speed writing symbols and iterations (like a pencil?). Uniball Air Micro and Elite Vision both seem to have some good ...
5 votes
2 answers
130 views

How do I identify good quality paper for charcoal drawing?

How do I identify paper that's good for charcoal? By "good", I'm referring to characteristics like how charcoal behaves on it, how fixative applies to the paper, durability, yellowing, etc. ...
  • 701
5 votes
2 answers
70 views

A way to efficiently and effectively combine papers for musical scores

I printed out some sheet music and would like to combine the pages. Currently I use tape and I cut the margins out (I need to just rescale the pages). The taping is kind of a pain because if things ...
  • 161
7 votes
6 answers
10k views

Printing on Black Paper

I am a paper craft artist. I have a pdf file which I need to take a printout on black paper. If I take print on black paper, I cannot see the lines and numbers. These lines and numbers, I need for ...
  • 319
6 votes
2 answers
417 views

Store paper in a humid environment

As a hobby, I'm starting to do calligraphy. I've bought some paper online a few weeks ago (a Rhodia paper block). Today, I found out that when the block lays on a flat surface, I see two or three ...
  • 163
4 votes
1 answer
1k views

How to make paper waterproof

I am a paper craft artist. I am wondering if I can make my paper art waterproof. I tried putting clear epoxy resin on the paper model, but the resin changed the color of the paper. Is there any ...
  • 319
4 votes
1 answer
112 views

What kind of paper should be preferred for fountain pens?

Of course the paper shouldn't have ghosting and feathering problems, besides that what should I look for in the paper for fountain pens. Some papers have teeth, some are very thin( school notebooks) ...
6 votes
1 answer
60 views

What is the difference between these watercolor papers?

I heard that watercolor papers are sized with different things. I want to know what the difference is between watercolor papers sized with gelatin and sized with starch.
  • 81
5 votes
1 answer
233 views

Can you measure the amount of tooth that a piece of paper has?

When shopping around for art paper there doesn't appear to be a measurement for amount of tooth. The paper does have a specified weight and whether it is rough or cold/hot pressed. Can the amount of ...
  • 288
2 votes
1 answer
173 views

How do I turn old post-it notes into a quilt [closed]

I use multi-colored post-it notes to remind myself things. After the task is complete I don't want to tear the notes. How do I covert these post-it notes into a quilt? Here are examples of quilts
  • 720
2 votes
1 answer
476 views

Printed document lifespan

How long will a document (black text) printed on standard paper using an inkjet printer last? I will keep it in an envelope in a normal house hold environment, not overly hot or cold. Looking for tips ...
  • 21
3 votes
0 answers
96 views

Will (acid-free) paper turn yellow over time if I use tape (not acid-free) on it? [closed]

More context: I’ll stick the tape on the back, then the paper (lignin-free, acid-free cellulose, 120gsm) is painted on the front.
3 votes
2 answers
231 views

Add support to large collage to prevent warping and tearing

I had been working on a huge painting made on about 15 separate sheets. After the work was finished I glued together all the paintings, but now after the paint has dried I find that the paper is kind ...
  • 61
2 votes
2 answers
115 views

Make imprinted folds in paper?

I have always liked the little Minecraft papercraft figures that you can buy at the store. You punch out the figures from the sheet and then fold up along the fold creases. Recently I saw some party ...
  • 185
5 votes
3 answers
218 views

A kind of paper where you can pull away the top layer?

I’m trying to make a Mother’s Day art project with my toddler. My idea is to trace their hand on some special paper, use a craft knife to cut the hand outline out, and then pull off the hand. My ...
  • 153
3 votes
1 answer
141 views

Are you supposed to remove the sheets from oil painting pads?

I had my first go at oil painting on the weekend.I was given some basic beginner supplies for Christmas. This included a "Belle Vous" Oil Painting Pad with 12 sheets. I thoroughly enjoyed my first go ...
3 votes
2 answers
1k views

How to naturally fade very colorful paper?

Does anyone know how/if you can fade the color from pages in for example old guidebooks with very strong colored photos? - and without using any chemicals. I’ve tried using sandpaper or a hard brush, ...
  • 31
3 votes
1 answer
152 views

Preserving paper stickers long term

I'm going to frame a few old video game cartridges in a box frame for art and preservation. I got the idea from a few posts I've seen online of others who have done the same: I'm going use a sheet ...
2 votes
2 answers
5k views

Homemade fixative for chalk pastel?

After I make a piece of art with chalk pastels, it gets smudged all over. I don't want to go out and get fixative, and we don't have hairspray, so I was wondering if there is any household item that ...
  • 73
0 votes
0 answers
38 views

How can I fix my silver sharpie? [duplicate]

So recently I pulled my mint condition -or so i thought- silver sharpie out from my art box. I never dipped it in anything or something, but for some reason, the nib has turned brown and only a small ...
4 votes
2 answers
887 views

What's a good non-adhesive plastic sheet to protect soft-back books?

I'd like to use non-adhesive transparent plastic sheet to wrap a soft-back book to protect it for long-term frequent use. I'd like to try the method #3 described in https://www.wikihow.com/Cover-a-...
  • 141
3 votes
3 answers
146 views

Trying to find specific embossed grid paper

I had a notebook a long time ago that was a dotted grid on each page, but the individual dots were embossed, so I could feel the texture of the dots. I used it for a lot of sketches, and I have a few ...
  • 31
5 votes
7 answers
4k views

How can I make paper look old without wetting it?

I want to make paper look aged and then print on it a picture, I tried with coffee but the results were bad, the picture quality is poor on the coffee paper compared with the white paper, the colors ...