Dave's Ideas

Papercraft Tips And A Boo For Canon

October 21, 2010

I’ve received a few emails asking for tips about papercraft, but in no way am I an expert! I am starting to get a little more confident with this, and the Ghostbusters Firehouse is shaping up to be quite awesome. So I thought I could at least share how I go about making this, but it’s probably not papercraft doctrine per se.

Firstly, normal paper sucks. It’s got no strength, it’s a little transparent, and wrinkles very easily with glue (if the printing hasn’t already done a number). So after hunting around at Staples, a salesperson told me about Card Stock, the kind of paper you print greeting cards on. This stuff is awesome. Pricier though - that bundle cost me $17, whereas normal paper is about $3-5 a bundle.

Next up, a cutting board is hugely convenient. My first few attempts was with scissors, but now I lay the paper down and cut it up with an exacto knife (box cutter to some), it takes me a fraction of the time. These boards come in all shapes and sizes, and make cutting a breeze. A worthy investment. I use a big bulky exacto - fits my hands.

I wasn’t sure what glue to use, but I saw this UHU stuff and it works good for me. It dries very quick, and allows for some adjustment too. It’s the little tube, not the big deodorant-like stick for which UHU is known.

And obviously a printer is needed. I use an inkjet. Mine happens to be a photo printer, which is capable of handling the thick glossy paper, so I knew it was safe for Card Stock. I can’t speak for all printers though.

If you have any papercraft tips, please feel free to leave a comment, and I’ll include it in this post.

Unfortunately I have to finish this post with a wag of the finger to Canon. I bought this package of ink today for the papercraft project(s), and I was astounded by how much wasted packaging there was:

First off I wasn’t thrilled about the included photo paper (no doubt to tempt you into burning through all the ink), as this package was the only means of replacing my CMY cartridges (no individuals were available). The paper was pretty much free, but I digress.

It’s just that the box was quite big when it didn’t have to be. You can see in the top that is how it looked when I opened it. Two big empty adjacent slots there.

The three cartridges could have lied flat against the paper, and the packaging could have been 1/3 the size. And if it didn’t come with paper the whole thing would be the size of 2″x3″x4.5″ box. A waste of packaging, and when you ship and stock this product, a waste of volume too. Those costs get passed along to the consumer.

I know why they do this. To accommodate other bundle types. They use the same packaging for other bundles that have larger refill containers (and that unnecessary paper too).

And to further draw my ire, the packaging is adorned with environmental self-approval from Canon. You can see the ‘Eco-Friendly Package’ seal at the top of the pic, the bottom of the package exclaims 100% Recyclable/Uses Vegetable Inks/Sustainable Forestry Initiative logos and messages, and the back advertises Canon’s ‘EcoSense’ program. I kid you not. Canon made a larger package that warrants more recycling, used more veggie ink as a result, and put a dent in their forestry initiative - and they pat themselves on the back for it.

Well Canon, you wasted a lot of packaging for this particular SKU, included a widely available product as an unnecessary pack-in (glossy photo paper) which may go unused by the consumer, all in the name of making your products look uniform and aligned on the shelf space. *Sigh!*

Entry filed under: Environment, Papercraft. Tags: Environment, Papercraft.