How to Make an Origami Book
Fold the paper in half., Fold a second time in the same direction., Unfold the paper., Fold the paper in half in the opposite direction., Fold the paper in half again in the same direction., Unfold the paper completely., Fold the paper in half...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Fold the paper in half.
Counting the front and back of each sheet, this method will make a sixteen-page origami book.
Start by taking the
8.5”x11” piece of paper and folding it in half “hamburger style.”This means folding along the 11” side, leading you with a
5.5”x8.5” paper. -
Step 2: Fold a second time in the same direction.
Take the folded piece of paper and fold it in half one more time in the same direction.This will leave you with a very narrow paper approximately
2.75”x8.5” in size. , Now that you have marked those two creases, you want to unfold the paper entirely.
The unfolded page will be
8.5”x11” again, and it will have creases separating the paper into four rows., With the page still fully unfolded, you want to turn the direction 90 degrees and fold the paper in half again but “hot dog style” this time.The folded sheet will be
4.25”x11”. , Just like you made the second fold in the same direction with the “hamburger style” fold, you want to do it again with the “hot dog style” fold.When you fold the paper in half again, it will be roughly
2.125”x11”. , Now that you’ve made these two fold, unfold the paper completely until it’s
8.5”x11” again.This time the creases will form sixteen evenly sized little rectangular boxes across the page. , With all of the creases made, you’re ready to start forming the paper into a book.
Start by folding the paper along the very first “hamburger style” fold so that it is
5.5”x8.5”., Turn the spine of the folded paper toward you and use a pair of scissors to cut the creases that run perpendicular to the spine of the fold.There should be three such creases and you want to cut each halfway down the paper.
The halfway point down the paper will be easy to see since it’s where the next crease that runs parallel to the spine intersects along the creases you’re cutting., With the three cuts along the creases done, open the page again.
It will now be the
8.5”x11” page but with two slats in the middle of the page. , With the page open, turn it so that the slats in the page look like an equal sign, and then make a perpendicular cut along the pre-existing crease in the equal sign.This will form four separate flaps in the middle of the page. , Once you have made the flaps, fold the flaps outward toward the edge of the page.There will be pre-existing creases at the edge of the flaps from the earlier folds, and since all of the rectangles earlier were of an equal size, when you fold the flaps over, they should be roughly flush with the edge of the page.
When you fold the flaps back, there will be a gap in the middle of the page that makes it look a bit like a window., With the flaps still folded over, you want to turn the entire page over.This will put the flaps side of the page facedown on your work table. , Take the top row of the paper and the bottom row of the paper and fold both of them in toward the center of the page.After you make the folds, the page will be the same size as though you had folded it “hot dog style,” which is
4.25”x11”. ,, Lift up the paper off the table and push the two ends of the paper toward each other without folding it.When looking at it from the top, this will make the middle section bow out along the pre-existing creases into a diamond shape. , As you continue to push the ends toward each other, the diamond shape will get smaller and the ends you’re holding and the bowed out ends will form an X shape., The pages will be sort of fanned out as though you had opened a book the entire way until the covers touch.
To finish the book, you simply need to fold from the center as though you were closing the book. -
Step 3: Unfold the paper.
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Step 4: Fold the paper in half in the opposite direction.
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Step 5: Fold the paper in half again in the same direction.
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Step 6: Unfold the paper completely.
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Step 7: Fold the paper in half “hamburger style” again.
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Step 8: Cut along the three creases on the spine.
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Step 9: Unfold the page.
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Step 10: Cut the slats.
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Step 11: Fold the four flaps back.
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Step 12: Turn the page over.
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Step 13: Fold the top and bottom to the center.
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Step 14: Fold the sheet in half “hot dog style.” With the top and bottom folded toward the center
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Step 15: you now want to fold the entire sheet “hot dog style.”The sheet will be roughly 2.125”x11” in size and the flaps you folded over earlier will be on the outside edges of the page.
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Step 16: Push the left and right sides together to form a diamond.
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Step 17: Gather it into an X shape.
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Step 18: Fold in half at the center.
Detailed Guide
Counting the front and back of each sheet, this method will make a sixteen-page origami book.
Start by taking the
8.5”x11” piece of paper and folding it in half “hamburger style.”This means folding along the 11” side, leading you with a
5.5”x8.5” paper.
Take the folded piece of paper and fold it in half one more time in the same direction.This will leave you with a very narrow paper approximately
2.75”x8.5” in size. , Now that you have marked those two creases, you want to unfold the paper entirely.
The unfolded page will be
8.5”x11” again, and it will have creases separating the paper into four rows., With the page still fully unfolded, you want to turn the direction 90 degrees and fold the paper in half again but “hot dog style” this time.The folded sheet will be
4.25”x11”. , Just like you made the second fold in the same direction with the “hamburger style” fold, you want to do it again with the “hot dog style” fold.When you fold the paper in half again, it will be roughly
2.125”x11”. , Now that you’ve made these two fold, unfold the paper completely until it’s
8.5”x11” again.This time the creases will form sixteen evenly sized little rectangular boxes across the page. , With all of the creases made, you’re ready to start forming the paper into a book.
Start by folding the paper along the very first “hamburger style” fold so that it is
5.5”x8.5”., Turn the spine of the folded paper toward you and use a pair of scissors to cut the creases that run perpendicular to the spine of the fold.There should be three such creases and you want to cut each halfway down the paper.
The halfway point down the paper will be easy to see since it’s where the next crease that runs parallel to the spine intersects along the creases you’re cutting., With the three cuts along the creases done, open the page again.
It will now be the
8.5”x11” page but with two slats in the middle of the page. , With the page open, turn it so that the slats in the page look like an equal sign, and then make a perpendicular cut along the pre-existing crease in the equal sign.This will form four separate flaps in the middle of the page. , Once you have made the flaps, fold the flaps outward toward the edge of the page.There will be pre-existing creases at the edge of the flaps from the earlier folds, and since all of the rectangles earlier were of an equal size, when you fold the flaps over, they should be roughly flush with the edge of the page.
When you fold the flaps back, there will be a gap in the middle of the page that makes it look a bit like a window., With the flaps still folded over, you want to turn the entire page over.This will put the flaps side of the page facedown on your work table. , Take the top row of the paper and the bottom row of the paper and fold both of them in toward the center of the page.After you make the folds, the page will be the same size as though you had folded it “hot dog style,” which is
4.25”x11”. ,, Lift up the paper off the table and push the two ends of the paper toward each other without folding it.When looking at it from the top, this will make the middle section bow out along the pre-existing creases into a diamond shape. , As you continue to push the ends toward each other, the diamond shape will get smaller and the ends you’re holding and the bowed out ends will form an X shape., The pages will be sort of fanned out as though you had opened a book the entire way until the covers touch.
To finish the book, you simply need to fold from the center as though you were closing the book.
About the Author
Henry Gibson
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow DIY projects tutorials.
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