How to Make a Square Sheet of Paper

Last Updated: February 17, 2023

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

1
Take a single sheet of paper. 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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2
Hold the top right corner of the paper and fold it towards the lower left side. Bring it down until the paper forms into a right-angled triangle.^{[2]
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Research source} Make sure all the corners touch each other exactly. There should be a small rectangular section left at the bottom.

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3
Cut this section off using paper scissors.^{[3]
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4
Unfold.^{[4]
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Community Q&A

Question

What if I don't have scissors?

Community Answer

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

Should the square be the same size as oragami paper?

Community Answer

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.
Question

What are the dimensions of the paper square?

Community Answer

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.