Paper lanterns are a fun and unique craft that people people enjoy all year long.  Chinese paper lanterns have been around for thousands of years.  They can be dated all the way to 230 BC.  To the Chinese people, they symbolize longevity and good luck.  During the Lantern Festival, which started around 230 BC, the people of China would gather together and use lanterns to look for their deceased friends and family who were thought to be traveling to heaven.

The Lantern Festival is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month of the lunar year in the Chinese calendar.  Many different cultures celebrate this type of festival.  Traditionally, during today’s festival, children go out during the evening carrying paper lanterns.  Many times they solve riddles on the paper lanterns.  The Lantern Festival ends the Chinese New Year.

While historically, the only ornate and extravagant lanterns were owned by the rulers of China, now, artisans from around world build lanterns using a variety of unique and colorful papers.

And so, as the years grew on, more and more people have started using paper lanterns for all sorts of celebrations.  They are often used to celebrate births, deaths, and even weddings.  For whatever reason why you want to make a paper lantern, even if it’s for fun, this guide will help you make a fun paper craft.

Materials:

• Letter sized (8.5 x 11) construction paper.  Choose your favorite color.
• Scissors
• Stapler
• Tape
• Ruler
• Pencil and colored pencils
• Decorations of any sort.  Use glitter, glue, ribbons, etc.

Instructions:

1. Using the ruler that you have, measure out 1 inch from the short end of your construction paper.  Cut that short end.  This will turn into the lantern’s handle.
2. Fold your paper in half “hamburger style” (lengthwise).
3. Using the pencil, draw a line 1 inch from the long edge of the paper that is opposite the fold.  This line will help you know where to cut.
4. Measure out a series of lines that 1 inch apart and mark them with the pencil.  These lines start at the folded edge and will stop at the “stop cutting line” from step 3.
5. Cut on each of these marked lines from step 4 and stop when you get to the line from step 3.
6. Open up the folded construction paper and match the short sides together.  Tape it.  This will end making the body of the lantern.
7. Staple the handle to the top of the lantern body.
8. Go wild and decorate!  Come up with your own unique design.  There are no rules for creativity.
9. Use yarn for hanging paper lanterns you create.

A small percentage of people who buy ink for their printers don’t care about the quality of the job printed. If you’re someone that doesn’t care if their cartridge gives quality results, you plenty of low priced options to choose from. If you’re like me, however, you can’t settle with the most mediocre of cartridges. But if you think that buying the most expensive cartridges will get you the best results–think again! The highest prices don’t always equal the best results.

The most popular ways right now to save money on ink is buy refilling the cartridge yourself. Instead of wasting money going to store and getting a new HP ink cartridge (or whatever brand you have) you can buy a kit to refill them. While a first time buyer for an ink kit may pay the same price as they would for a normal set of brand name cartridges, they’ll get multiple refills out of one kit. So in the end, you end up saving a lot of money.

Having your ink cartridges refilled at your own home with a kit has its advantages and disadvantages. The money you save by having your ink refilled at home is the number one advantage. Most people can save over 60% to 70% off the original manufacturer’s price on printer cartridges. Unfortunately, beyond the money saving factor, there aren’t many pros with refilling. Ink refilling can be a very messy, risky, and time consuming process. You can end up getting ink permanently on your clothes. Quite a few people ended up permanently wrecking their printer because of leaky ink refills. Also, ink is very messy and can stain your clothes and hands very easily. The final disadvantage of refilling ink is you can end up wasting money. Some printers use special electronic chips that detect if a cartridge is a refill. In a few cases, printers wouldn’t allow people to use refills.

The best way to save money on your ink cartridges is through re-manufactured cartridges. Many local office stores and online stores sell this cartridges at prices much lower than the national brand name. If you’re like me and don’t want to deal with the hassle of ink refills, go with re-manufactured cartridges instead. They’re much more likely to work in your printer and also produce higher quality print results.

There are quite a few office stores and other similar stores locally that can sell you refilled ink cartridges or refurbished ink jet cartridges. OfficeMax is one those local superstores that has the ability to refill your cartridge in-store. They also have OfficeMax brand ink cartridges that you can buy if you want something a bit more quality for photos or marketing jobs. After local stores, the next best (and cheapest) way to buy compatible ink cartridges is on the internet. There are an almost unlimited number of sites that sell quality ink cartridges for cheapest prices. On the internet, you can save about 60% with off-brand cartridges.

There are many different types of theme printer paper out there you can buy.  With some styled for nearly every occasion or setting, you can find the one that fits you best.  Whether you’re throwing a spooky Halloween get together or a beach-themed birthday party, you can find the paper to match perfectly.  Also, if you’re not able to find the theme or pattern that matches what you’re looking for, what not get the images and print them yourself?  With desktop publishing software like Broderbund’s Printshop, you can make and print the theme paper yourself.  You can also use the software to save a template and then take it to a professional print shop locally or online to have high quality prints done too.

There are tons of places on the internet that you can buy themed paper from.  Whether you’re looking for custom made theme paper or blank sheets you can print yourself, you can find online stores that have them for great prices.  While the internet is not the best if you’re needing the paper right away, they are the cheapest when you’re looking for pre-printed invitations.  If you own you own printer, you can head over to an office store like Office Max or Staples and pick up 100 sheet packages from their stationary sections.  In many cases, you can expect to pay about $7 for beach theme paper.  Fancier papers, like for a wedding, may be a lot more expensive.

When grabbing your theme paper, remember to grab matching envelopes.  Most online and local stores sell envelopes that will compliment your invitations perfectly.

So you’re at the store and you’re trying to figure out the type of photo paper you should get.  What will get you the best results for the cost?  What are the differences between glossy and matte paper?  While you know you’re looking for photographic paper, you’re completely unsure about the minor differences between each style and brand.  And also, besides the normal choice between glossy and matte photo paper, what’s the difference between semi-gloss (satin), and the other types of photo paper?

When you go to the developer for photographs with your camera, you typically get glossy paper back.  This slick-surfaced paper is what is generally thought of when thinking about photos.  There are many factors that have influenced the continued popularity of glossy photos.  First, the paper is really shiny which makes the photos more appealing to look at.  Second, a lot of glossy photo papers make the colors of the picture “pop” out.

Matte photo paper, on the other hand, tends to be used for more formal types of pictures.  While not as fancy as glossy paper, matte photographic paper has its advantages.  If you’re displaying photographs in a really bright room, you’ll find that glossy papers to reflect light a lot more.  This leads to viewers of the photograph having difficulty seeing the picture because of a glare from the bright light.  Matte paper doesn’t have as much of problem with glares, which makes the optimal for settings with lots of lighting.  Matte paper is also much better for gray scale and black and white imagery.

The final major choice for photo paper is semi-gloss paper.  This is the intermediary between glossy and matte photo papers.  The surface of satin photographic paper is not quite smooth and flat like matte but it’s also not as shiny as glossy.  Colors printed on semi-gloss paper tend to be much more vibrant and gorgeous.  It also doesn’t have the disadvantage of generating a glare like glossy photo paper.  Semi-gloss paper is traditional used by many portrait studios.  If you’ve ever had your pictures taken at Sears or at school, often the results are printed on satin paper.

The paper you choose for a given project can spell the difference between making it a success or a flop.  There can be so many types of paper to choose from, however, that it can be very difficult for the average person to decide.  Many articles on the internet are very poor at helping you determine what may be right for you.  You can try to ask your local office supply business and come up even more empty-handed than you did on the internet.

So, in order to help you make the right decision for your printer paper, we prepared this article to solve your problems.  There are three things you should know about printer paper:

1. The brightness of the paper.
2. The weight factor.
3. The type of finish used on the printer paper.

To begin, the brightness of the paper is a measurement of how much light is reflected by the paper’s surface.  The higher the brightness, the more white your paper will appear and the better printed blacks and colors will look.  Most copy paper starts at 92 bright.  In the United States, you can expect your paper to be the brightest at 99 bright.  If you need paper for everyday printing that you will end up throwing away, 92 bright is all you need.  If, on the other hand, the paper is going to be used for a marketing or business presentation, you’ll want paper that is 96 bright or higher.Next, the weight of your printer paper is another important factor of the paper choosing process.  The higher the weight of the paper, the more substantial and better quality it will feel.  The cheapest copy paper will be about 20 pounds for paper weight.  20 pound printer paper is very thin and will show through when printed double-sided.  For most business documents, you will want paper that’s around 24 or 28 pounds.  If you’re printing in full color, you’ll want 32 pound paper.

The finish of the paper is a rating that runs from matte to glossy.  There is also a major difference in the finish used in laser paper and ink jet paper.  Ink jet paper’s finish is scientifically designed to allow ink to dry faster and be more smudge resistant.  Laser paper, however, is designed for toner use and will make the text and color appear much sharper when used with a laser printer.  It’s important to choose the paper designed for your type of printer.  While multipurpose paper is a good all-around paper for offices with both ink jet and laser printers, you’ll discover that specifically designed printer paper will work better in the long run.

Besides ink jet and laser finishes, there are also printer papers made with different materials.  Business stationary, for example, are made from special linens and often have a much higher cotton content.  This type of finish is designed for people seeking high quality paper for resumes, letterheads, and documents branding a corporate identity.

This article only covers the basics of choosing printer paper.  Besides the three major factors that determine the quality of the paper, their are tons of things to look for–especially if you’re printing glossy photos or brochures.  If you want to know more about finding the best printers and paper for printing, check out the rest of this website.

First, you’ll want to turn off your printer and unplug it.  It would be terrible if you electrocuted yourself while trying to get the paper free.  Next, find where the printer paper is stuck.  If it’s stuck inside the printer where you can’t see it, find an access panel on the printer.  Access panels are easy to reach “doors” found on the side or the back of the printer.  Once you’ve located the paper, firmly grasp it with both your hands and pull it out from the printer.  Don’t pull in such a way that you’ll tear the paper which can make the printer jam worse.  While pulling the paper, you can try to rotate any of the internal gears to help the paper through.  Once all the visible paper, and the scraps, are cleared from the printer, turn the printer back on.  If the printer still says there is a printer jam, repeat the above steps and find the paper.  If, without a doubt, you cannot find any paper jammed and the printer still has an error, contact the manufacturer for a repair.

If you are visual learner like me, this video will help you see how to get rid of a printer jam.

As one of the most important parts of the printing process, the paper you choose can make or break it.  Paper comes in three different varsities, cheap everyday stuff, medium grade stuff that is designed to impress, and the highest grade, premium printer paper that will make whatever is printed on it golden.  Most consumers use the everyday paper, but professionals, like successful real estate agents, use the best printer paper.

First, let’s talk about what makes “everyday” paper.  Everyday paper you find at the store for a few dollars is typically 20# with a 92 brightness.  The weight: 20# describes how flimsy the paper is when you feel it.  The higher the weight, the more substantial the paper will feel to you.  Paper weight will range from about 20# to over 110# (which is cardstock).  The brightness of the paper refers to how bright the paper itself is.  92 bright paper is very dull and will give dull, everyday results.  98 bright or higher papers will give much lively, reactive results.

Choosing the best printer paper is very important.  Typically, when you’re looking at premium paper that will be used for fliers or marketing materials, you’ll want to lean towards a paper with a weight around 44#.  If you need paper to put into a binder for a presentation, 24# is the weight you’ll want for optimum page-turning results.  Many paper manufacturers will have products that state what they’re good for.  HP papers, for example, will have right on their label their purpose.  HP brochure papers would be, of course, for people printing brochures.

The brand of paper you choose is really based on your preference.  While HP is definitely a highly recommended brand by many printing professionals, you can find many other premium papers from manufacturers like Hammermill and Boise Cascade.  So when choosing your brand, find one that meets your printing needs and budget.  The most expensive paper you can buy may not be the one you need and so keep your mind open while shopping.

No matter what your planning on using cardstock for there are weights and different finishes you need to keep in mind.  65# cardstock is the most commonly used of all the weights available.  The reason why people choose 65# compared the heavier weights like 90# and 110# is 65 is much easier to manage and fold.  If you’ve ever tried to print on really heavy cardstock, you’ve probably experienced a lot of jams.  Some people have even damaged their printers through wear and tear caused by the super thick stuff.  When folding cardstock, 65# weight will look much better than 110.  Basically what happens when you fold thick cardstock, you often get a distorted spine that looks very tacky whereas with the medium thickness cardstock, you don’t have that problem.

When it comes to cardstock colors and finishes, you have almost an unlimited amount of choice.  Whether you’re planning on using on using cardstock as a binding cover for a marketing portfolio or using cardstock to highlight the photographs from a scrap booking project, there is plenty of choice out there.  When choosing cardstock, the finish and color is all about personal preference.

A great brand of cardstock that I’ve always had good luck with before is Wausau.  They’re a famous paper company that has a great line of paper products developed with you in mind.  If you want some worry-free, quality cardstock Wausau papers will always deliver.

Choosing to buy cardstock online is a very important thing if you don’t want to end up getting cheated out of your hard earned money.  Whether you buy just a few reams of cardstock or want to use an online print shop to print on cardstock for you, you need to make sure you pick from a reputable store.  Saving a couple dollars on a ream of paper isn’t worth it if the company take 2 weeks to ship it to you.  So with that in mind, you’re going to want to choose from either local retailer or an online retailer with a strong name.  Before buying online, always research and make sure they’re a company you want to deal with.

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HP has a broad line of paper products on the market for printing photos.  No matter your skill level or what you’re planning on using the pictures for, there is paper made by HP great for you.  They are deeply respected in the printing industry and with their prices compared to their competitors, they can hardly be beat.  If you’re looking for consistent, reliable photo paper, HP is the brand for you.

HP makes their photo paper in a variety of different qualities based on what you’re going to be printing.  For example, if you’re planning on printing every day photographs that will be passed from person to person and then thrown away afterwords, HP Advanced Paper will be the best for you whereas HP Premium Plus Paper would be great if you are planning on keeping the photos you printed for many years or if you’re going to be selling your printed pictures to people.  There are some other grades of quality of HP paper products in between those but we’ll mainly focus on the two mentioned.

HP Advanced Photo Paper comes in many shapes, sizes, and finishes.  Based on the size of paper for your printing needs, you can get it in 4×6, 5×7, 8.5×11, and 13×19. Also, HP Advanced Photo Paper comes in both glossy and matte finishes.  The quality of this photo paper is roughly equivalent to what you can get from any Sam’s Club photo developing center.  The glossy photos you can get with this HP paper is quite amazing and so you really can’t go wrong for the price.

HP Premium Plus Photo Paper is the best photo paper you can purchase from HP.  If you’re looking for simply spectacular photographs that you can keep and share with others, this is the paper you’re looking for.  This is professional grade paper that you simply can’t beat for level of quality.  Backed with HP paper technology, HP Premium Plus Photo Paper has a special coating that gives it resistance to fading over time plus color that will remain vibrant for generations to come.  Found in all the typical photo paper sizes and matte and glossy finishes,  you just can’t go wrong with this quality paper.

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