Crafting and decor
Scrapbook Paper
Ten patterns you can size and weight yourself, printed as a full background sheet, as a true origami square with the waste marked, or as six journal cards. Generated from your settings rather than picked from a pack.
Four steps
How to print patterned paper
- 1
Pick a pattern
Ten designs, each adjustable rather than fixed.
- 2
Set the repeat
Larger for a feature, smaller for a texture behind text.
- 3
Choose the layout
Full sheet, origami square, or six journal cards.
- 4
Print
80 gsm for origami, 120 gsm for scrapbook backgrounds.
- 5
Cut the square
For origami, cut on the dashed line before folding.
A4 is not square, and origami needs one
This is the single most common reason a first origami attempt comes out crooked. A4 is 210 by 297 mm, so folding it corner to corner gives a shape that is nearly right and not right, and the error compounds with every fold until the model visibly leans.
The origami layout prints the largest true square the sheet holds, with the leftover strip marked by a dashed line. Cut that off first, before making a single fold. It takes ten seconds and it is the difference between a crane that stands up and one that does not.
Outline against solid
Almost every printable patterned paper you can download is solid, because it was made to look good as a thumbnail. On a home printer a solid pattern across a whole sheet uses a startling amount of ink, and it is the background: the thing you are going to cover with photographs and writing.
Outline patterns print in a fraction of the ink, do not band, and leave whatever you layer on top readable. Solid is here if you want it, and it is the right choice for a small card or a cut-out shape, but not for a full sheet.
Choosing the repeat
| Repeat | Reads as | Use for |
|---|---|---|
| 4 to 7 mm | Texture | Behind text, subtle backgrounds |
| 8 to 15 mm | Pattern | General scrapbook and journal pages |
| 16 to 25 mm | Feature | Cards, tags, cut-out shapes |
| 26 to 40 mm | Graphic | Large pieces, gift wrap, covers |
Related printables
Wall art uses the same generated approach at print size, graph paper gives you a precise grid rather than a decorative one, and party printables cover tags and cards to layer onto these backgrounds.
Answers