How to Start a Paper Craft Business

Paper crafts include any sort of craft that is fabricated from paper or a paper-like medium such as cardboard or waste fabric rags. Depending on the time of year, you can market different types of paper craft designs. One lucrative seasonal papercraft is designing and handcrafting holiday decorations. Another is the wedding invitation and place settings market.

Starting a Paper Crafts Business

A papercraft business is one of the least expensive arts and crafts start-up businesses. Basic startup supplies and tools are cheap and easy to find. Papercraft tools and supplies include different types of paper medium, dyes and adhesives, cutting tools and printing tools.

Breaking out seasonal versus non-seasonal paper crafts, seasonal paper crafts include gift wrap, greeting cards, wedding invitations, and holiday decorations. Year-round paper crafts include wallpaper, origami, paper mache, popups, scrapbooking, lampshades, and bookbinding.

Exploring Different Types of Paper

Like any art or craft, selecting the proper raw material for the job is key. For example, if you want to handcraft lamp shades, kinwashi, a hemp paper product, is your best bet. It's also suitable for block printing and letterpress designs.

Paper is sold by the sheet and roll. Some are acid or bleach-free, which affects the color and consistency of the paper. Depending on the type of fiber and weaving technique used to make the paper, even the thinnest of sheets can be quite strong. While the gorgeous paper is available ready-made from many different online and brick-and-mortar companies, making the paper is itself a craft.

Learning About Paper Craft Tools and Supplies

Your biggie paper craft tool is the paper cutter. Depending on the type of paper craft, you might just need a good pair of cutting shears, razor knife or guillotine paper cutter.

Other tools include a ruler, T-square, stamps, adhesives, dyes, ink (one trending method is to make ink from flowers and plants), plastic to cut stencils, and possibly a letterpress. Professional letterpress machines are expensive. They can run upwards to $5,000 for the small business crafter.

Trying out a cheap hobby letterpress first will give you some indication if you want to delve into this type of paper craft. For simple letterpress designs, you can cut stencils and print them with a brayer.

Cricut machines are also highly rated by hobby paper crafters and are a good transitional tool from hobby to business. Just keep in mind that most less expensive hobbyist tools are only useful for beginners wanting to learn the basics about a skill. Certainly, to make money in a papercraft business requiring a letterpress, you'll eventually have to invest in professional equipment.