How to Make a Square Sheet of Paper

Reviewed by Renee Day

Last Updated: February 17, 2023 Fact Checked

In origami it's very important to start off with a perfectly square sheet of paper. Unless you already have one, you'll have to make one. The more square your paper, the better your origami will turn out. This article shows how you can make a square-shaped paper out of any shaped sheet.

Steps

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This can be of any size, standard size however is 8 by 11. You may only do this for one sheet of paper at a time.^{[1]
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Bring it down until the paper forms into a right-angled triangle.^{[2]
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What if I don't have scissors?

Community Answer

Try folding the paper and then ripping it along the seam of the fold.

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Should the square be the same size as oragami paper?

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Origami paper comes in many different sizes. You just need to make sure that the paper is a square, no matter what size it is.

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What are the dimensions of the paper square?

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That depends on the size of the sheet of paper you have. If you are using standard copy paper (8.5 inches by 11 inches), then your square would be 8.5 by 8.5 or smaller.

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Tips

If you do not have a pair of scissors, you can crease the rectangle along the side of the half-square. Run your fingernail over the crease repeatedly to make it sharp, put the folded paper on a hard surface, and tear off along the crease.You can also lick the edge and then tear the paper.

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You can also just take a second piece of paper and rotate it 90 degrees, line up the long edge of the top sheet with the short edge of the lower sheet. Fold the extra bit of paper on the lower sheet over and cut off with scissors. Your square piece of paper is "fresh" this way with no folds.

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Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

Take printer paper and fold over the triangle like normal. Take that rectangle and fold it over to the back side. Then, unfold the whole sheet and cut along the crease by the rectangle.
Try folding over the small rectangle and licking the fold. That way, the paper will tear apart more easily if you don't have scissors.
If you're trying to make a square that's a specific size, measure your sheet of paper first to ensure you have enough.

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