Every template on this site follows the same idea: print, cut along the solid lines, fold along the dotted ones, glue the tabs. That's the whole craft — but a few small choices make the difference between a wobbly first attempt and a model you'll want to keep on the shelf.
Regular 80gsm printer paper works, but it buckles under glue and the model feels flimsy. The sweet spot is cardstock between 160 and 200gsm — stiff enough to hold its shape, thin enough to fold cleanly. Any office supply store sells it, and most home printers handle it fine (feed one sheet at a time if yours complains). For big architectural models like the castles and towers, heavier paper pays off; for small animals, standard cardstock is plenty.
Scissors, a glue stick, and patience. Scissors handle 90% of the work; for tight inner corners a craft knife helps but is optional. Glue sticks beat liquid glue for paper — they don't warp the sheet. If you build often, add a ruler and an empty ballpoint pen: dragging the dead pen along fold lines against a ruler ("scoring") gives you crisp, straight folds every time.
Do the steps in order for the whole model rather than piece by piece. Cut everything out first. Score and pre-fold all the dotted lines while the pieces are still flat — it's much easier than folding a half-assembled box. Only then start gluing, and give each joint about thirty seconds of finger pressure before moving on. Rushing the glue is the number one beginner mistake.
Easy models are single-sheet builds with big pieces — good for kids from about age five with supervision, done in 30–45 minutes. Medium adds smaller parts and curved folds, around an hour of work. Advanced models (mostly the famous buildings) come as multi-page PDFs and reward a patient evening or a weekend session. If you're new, start easy: Mario, the ladybug or the Creeper are nearly impossible to get wrong.
Print at 100% scale ("actual size"), not "fit to page" — the templates are designed for A4. Color inkjet or laser both work; if you only have black-and-white, high-contrast models like the zebra still look great. Let inkjet prints dry a few minutes before cutting so the ink doesn't smudge along the cut edges.
That's genuinely all there is to it. Pick a model from the catalog, print it tonight, and you'll have something three-dimensional on your desk within the hour.