Frequently Asked Questions

OrigamiUSA is run by a board, a board chair and various committees. You can find out more information about all of these constituents on the main contact page here.

The Publications Committee accepts and welcomes diagram submissions all year long, as we are continually working on books. For the Origami Collection, we need three months prior to the release date (which coincides with the current year's NY Origami Convention at the end of June) to produce the book. All submissions after that date will be considered for future publications.

In order to do that, we'd need to get permission from the authors and publisher of the diagrams for each model, and that's just not practical.

It is on the back of your name tag.

There are many choices of classes to take at the Convention and you might be wonderfully surprised by taking something unexpected. In addition, many attendees love to teach the models they've just learned. Wear your sticker that says, "Please teach me" with the name of the model you are interested in learning, and check the stickers that others are wearing with offers to teach. This informal teaching happens in the Hospitality area during breaks, or at the Late Night Folding.

No. The seating in the classrooms is set up to accommodate a specific number of students. Also, some teachers ask to teach a limited group, or have prepared a limited number of material sets.

No. This is not fair to the teacher and other students in the class as it creates a distraction.

You can get a Ticket from the Big Board in the back of the room.

Please return the ticket to the Big Board so someone else may use it, and choose something else (or not!). You might decide to skip a class period and go see the Exhibition or shop for books and paper.

With over 600 attendees and over 200 classes available over the course of the three days, this is the only efficient and fair way we have found to get tickets to all our attendees. If you prefer, you can use the Big Board to get your tickets and still have a fantastic time.

Remember that you have to meet certain criteria to get Ticketing Priority. People who work (teach and/or volunteer) during class time, will have ticketing priority if they have registered by May 25, and turned in their display model by the designated time.
In addition:

• You must commit to your teaching/volunteering assignment at least one week prior to the Convention.
• You must be teaching and/or volunteering during a day for which you have signed up to Attend With Classes.
• If you teach and/or volunteer one hour of class time, you are eligible for Priority Ticketing during that day.
• If you teach and/or volunteer two hours of class time, you are eligible for Priority Ticketing for all days attending.

If you have done all these things, and feel you should have received a Ticketing Priority form, ask the people at the Information Desk to double check for you.

Hand in your form at the Information Desk by midnight on the night before the day you are requesting tickets. Pick up your tickets at the Information Desk from 8:45am – 9:30am.

Several years ago OrigamiUSA engaged a copyright lawyer with over 25 years of experience in intellectual property to look into the question of how copyright applies to origami. He wrote up a more extensive FAQ for us, which you can find on our main copyright policy page, here:

http://www.origamiusa.org/copyright

You can also download from there a copy of his analysis with footnotes and supporting reasoning.

OrigamiUSA would welcome additional investigation and/or opinions from any lawyer with substantial experience in copyright law who would be interested in some pro bono work for our non-profit organization. Please contact the copyright committee using the link on the page above.

If the figure is traditional (e.g., the crane), you can do pretty much anything you like with it!

If the figure is not traditional, then you need to secure permission from the composer of the figure.

Only after securing permission from the composer of the figure (and if different, the photographer who took the image).

 If the figure is traditional, you don't need permission from the composer, but you still need permission from the photographer.

Not without permission from the original author, unless the author has specifically put them into the public domain.

Most copyright law contains certain exceptions, which in the U.S. come under the doctrine of “Fair Use.” Although the law is (intentionally) somewhat vague about the specific boundaries of “Fair Use,” teaching an origami figure to someone else informally is generally considered acceptable.



That would be considered commercial usage for which permission must be obtained from the composer.

No. a reproduction of a creative work is considered a derivative work no matter how it was derived and the original composer retains rights in the work.



No. A modification of a creative work is considered a derivative work and the original composer retains rights in the work.

If the figure is explicitly noted as a traditional figure, yes. If the figure was composed by an individual (who is usually credited in the book), you may fold it for personal use but commercial usage of the origami figure requires permission from the composer of the figure.



No. An author can give his/her work away while still retaining control over other forms of distribution.

Not without permission of the author. Video instructions would still be considered a "derivative work" of the original.

You should demand to see written permission from the original authors. The vast majority of diagrams from web sources (e.g., eBay) that are claimed to have resale rights, don’t.

There are several documented examples of simultaneous composition in origami, particularly among figures of a highly geometrical nature. (This situation is analogous to two musical composers independently composing the same melody; it’s rare, but does happen.) If the figures were composed independently, each composer has the right to assign rights to his/her own design.



No. You may find them useful for understanding general issues, but for any specific legal question you should contact your own lawyer familiar with the relevant laws in your area. In particular, copyright laws vary somewhat from country to country.

We need to verify that each vote comes from a current member, and that no member votes more than once. Your name and membership number allows us to do that.

Yes.

Each membership, no matter what category, gets one vote. That means a family membership gets only one vote.

The only person who sees your ballot is the person who counts them. That person does not reveal any individual votes to anyone else.

Check the envelope your ballot came in -- your membership number is on the address label. If you still don't know your membership number, write your name clearly on your ballot.

The person who counts the ballots checks the name on the ballot against the membership number, and if they don't match they will reject the ballot. To make that person's job easier, please use the name that appears first on the address label. If you're not sure which name that is, writing all the names on the ballot will help the ballot counter to identify your membership.

In sending your ballot to the ballot counter, you are designating the ballot counter to be your proxy, which means that he will cast a vote on your behalf at the annual meeting. Simply put, you are asking him to vote for you, and you are telling him how you want to vote.

No -- that is not the proxy's function. The proxy will cast a vote for you based on your instructions. If you don't make a clear choice, the proxy will not vote your ballot.

The proxy will not count it (see above).

The proxy will cast votes for the candidates you choose, and no others.

The person counting the ballots, for obvious reasons, is acting independently and doesn't have regular contact with either the Board or other OrigamiUSA volunteers. If you wish to communicate with them, it is better to contact OrigamiUSA directly.

We've used many different types of paper for the tree in past years. Thin art papers with long fibers are the best, but it depends on what you are folding. Generally kami or plain wrapping paper or things with prints should not be used. Tissue foil is okay and even some foil is good too, but more interesting textures and papers would be better than foil;also matte foil is better than shiny or glossy foil. if a model is too bright, it stands out too much and may not be accepted for use.

The tree goes up in November a few weeks before Thanksgiving so we really need all models by the beginning of October to make sure we have enough time to prepare them to be put on the tree. Before sending any models, contact the Tree Committee at holiday-tree [at] origamiusa [dot] org to find out what models are needed.

Sorry, we can't send you copies of diagrams unless we have permission from the authors and/or publishers, but we can tell you what books that models are in.

The tree is opened to the public a few days before Thanksgiving until several days past New Years Day.

The OrigamiUSA Lending Library is a service for OrigamiUSA members that loans books of origami diagrams through U.S. Mail. Members in the USA can borrow from the Lending Library without leaving their home.

The collection consists primarily of out-of-print, English language books of origami diagrams. The collection also includes a number of books in other languages, including Japanese, Spanish, and Italian. It also includes a complete run of the newsletter publlished by the Friends of the Origami Center of America newsletter and the magazine it became: The Paper, published by OrigamiUSA, as well as a complete run of FOCA and OrigamiUSA annual convention programs (titled Annual Collection and The Origami Collection, depending on the year).

The link to View the Collection on the main Lending Library page provides detailed information on available items.

The OrigamiUSA Lending Library site lists specific publications available for loan. However, it does not index the contents of those items or provide a reference service to identify models/diagrams. Instead, where possible, the collection list links to Dennis Walker's Origami Database, or to scanned images of a book's table of contents and cover. You can use the Origami Database to search for information on diagrams by name, designer, or publication. Links to the Origami Database are used with permission. OrigamiUSA is not responsible for the accuracy of information in the Origami Database.

The Lending Library Service is available to OrigamiUSA members. The service is limited to members in North America. OrigamiUSA Membership must be current a minimum of 60 days past the due date of borrowed items. For information about membership in OrigamiUSA, click here.

The Lending Library ships books via US Mail, and includes return postage as part of the delivery charge. Mailing outside of the USA is prohibitively expensive and involves customs inspection in both directions.

The loan period for Lending Library books is four weeks. There are no renewals.

Your OrigamiUSA membership benefits include use of the Lending Library. No additional registration is necessary if you wish to work entirely by mail (see below). If you wish to request books by email, though, using our online submission system, you will need to register for an OrigamiUSA web account and use that to log into the website. See here for information about web accounts.

The Lending Library uses a fixed fee structure to cover shipping and incidental expenses:

• 1 item: $ 8.50
• 2 items: $ 12.00
• 3 items: $ 15.00

These charges cover costs of postage, packing materials, return postage, and delivery tracking and confirmation.

• The Lending Library listing displays items in the collection.
• Use the request form (see link at the top of the listing) to request up to three books.
• Submitting the request form automatically e-mails your request to the Lending Library and sends you an email confirmation of your request.
• The Lending Library will reply to your request with a PayPal money request for the applicable charge (See "How much does it cost to borrow," above).
• Requests and payment by U.S. Mail are also possible, see "How can I borrow..." below.
• When your payment is received the books are mailed to you.
• Normally, shipment is via US Postal Service Media Mail. (Estimated shipping time = 7 days)
• Priority Mail is available on request for an additional $5.00 service charge. As a general rule, packages ship on Friday only.
• The mailed package includes a due date, pre-addressed return address envelope, and prepaid return postage.

PayPal is a secure, online payment service that processes web-based financial transactions.It is not necessary to be pre-registered with PayPal. Click here for more information.

You can borrow from the collection using US mail. A list of available items and complete directions, including shipping charges, will be mailed to you on request. Please enclose $2.00 with your request, to cover postage. (U.S. Postage stamps accepted.)

OrigamiUSA Lending Library
P.O. Box 82400
Phoenix, Arizona 85071-2400

The Lillian Oppenheimer Research Library is a non-traveling collection housed at the Home Office and only available by direct appointment. The Lending Library consists of books that can be loaned out and is operated through the mails. See the Libraries page for details.

The research library is located in the OrigamiUSA Home Office, in the American Museum of Natural History, in New York City.

Any current member of OrigamiUSA can visit and use the Reference Library.

You must contact the Home Office and make an appointment.

No; as the library is a research library, books must remain in the library.

No. The Home Office is a small space that has many OrigamiUSA activities ongoing, and therefore we cannot accommodate drop-in visits.

An Individual membership for a US resident is $30. Check here to see the various levels of membership and the exciting benefits.

Basic membership benefits include our quarterly magazine, The Paper, our online magazine The Fold, a 10% discount at our store, The Origami Source, and many other benefits – to see the full list check here.

Yes. Our membership covers a full range of folding ability from beginners to complex master folders. We truly have something for every level of folder.

A family membership is a group of 2 adults and up to 4 children 18 years of age or younger, who occupy the same residence.

To keep costs down we send our quarterly magazine The Paper by bulk mail. While bulk mail is economical, it is a slow trip to your mailbox. So for those that can’t wait to read the latest origami news you may want to include the additional cost for first class postage. First class postage is automatically included in the higher membership levels.

If you send your form in by mail, it takes our home office about two weeks to process and ship your membership welcome package to you. If you join online, it will still take several days to send out the welcome package but you can start enjoying online members-only content immediately.

Inside the packet you will find a membership card, the latest issue of The Paper, a list and order form from The Origami Source and a letter from the membership chairman, welcoming you to our organization.

Yes. In the comment field on your order form, enter “new member verify with home office” and we’ll be sure that your discount is applied to your order. If you joined online, then your discount on purchases made online is effective immediately.

While we enjoy our membership friends and welcome them to attend our various events, the home office is a small volunteer back office. This makes pop-in visits difficult, so we kindly request visitors to call and make an appointment. Please remember that the Home Office does not carry any origami supplies for sale nor origami books to lend. You will need to contact The Source directly to make any purchases or our Lending Library to barrow a book. If you would like to join any of our volunteer committees check out the list of all committees and we’ll be happy to have you.

We have our own store that operates by mail order and online orders, called The Origami Source. It is an excellent source for origami books and supplies recommended by our members. If you would like a free copy of the supplies list please send a self address business envelope with two(2) first class stamps to the address below or call or e-mail us.

For privacy reasons we are unable to give out any member’s contact info, however, if you have correspondence for a particular member we are happy to forward it on to them so they may respond to you directly.

You can reach us by phone or fax:
Phone (212)769-5635, Fax (212)769-5668
Or by post:
OrigamiUSA
15 West 77th Street
New York, New York 10024-5192
Or via the Contact Page on this website.

The member's mailing list is a mailing list for members of OrigamiUSA to discuss anything related to origami and/or to OrigamiUSA. We also make announcements of events and other items of interest on the list.

After subscribing on this page, you can post a message to the list by sending it to members [at] origamiusa [dot] org. You must be subscribed in order for the message to get through.

All of those settings are on this page, which is one of the tabs of your user account page. There's also a link to it in the MY ACCOUNT menu.

In order to subscribe to the list, you need to be (a) signed into the website, (b) a current member of OrigamiUSA. When you're signed in, you'll see "Welcome " in the upper right corner of the site. If you're a current member, you'lll see "Welcome (OrigamiUSA Member)" in the upper right.

If you're a member but don't yet have a website account, you can learn about how to get one here. (Note: if you were a member of OrigamiUSA in November 2010, you probably already have one, and can recover your password here.

If you're signed in, think you're a member, but the site says otherwise, please contact us at membership [at] origamiusa [dot] org and we'll try to straighten it out.

Really, anything about origami in general or OrigamiUSA in particular is appropriate. That would include tips, techniques, local meetings, exhibitions, and general Q&A about origami matters. Postings of a mildly commercial nature (e. g. non-OrigamiUSA product or publication announcements, etc.) are acceptable if they are occasional and are of sufficiently wide interest to OrigamiUSA members. Do make sure that your posting is something that would be of interest to a range of people: one-on-one conversations between individuals often are not, and should be taken off-list.

Also, if you have a question specifically about the organization, please consider whether one of the specific email addresses on our contact page might be more appropriate. While OrigamiUSA volunteers often post on the list and monitor it, you're likely to get a quicker and better response if you send it to the right person directly. Of course, questions whose answer would be of broad interest are always welcome on the list.

Please do not post bare links to other web pages with no discussion. For one thing, some ISPs automatically flag such emails as spam. At the very least, please add a few sentences to the body of your message explaining why you found this significant and/or why you're recommending it.

In general, follow the Golden Rule: do as to others as you would have done to you. Be polite, give everyone the benefit of the doubt, and recognize that sometimes you need to agree to disagree with someone and no amount of discussion will ever resolve a difference of opinion.

Quoting. Since people can receive their email in digest form, which is awkward to read when people top-post in their reply, please always (a) trim quoted emails to just the bit that's relevant to your message, and (b) post your response below the quoted part. This is the same policy that Origami-L uses (and we use it for the same reason).

HTML formatting. You can, if you wish, use HTML formatting (colors and fonts) if you wish to further distinguish quoted from new text. Please be aware that some people may not see the formatting, however, depending on their email application, so do consider at least creating some blank space or other separating between quoted material and your text. If you like, you can interleave quoted and new material.

Linking is better than embedding. To share an image or other content, please consider posting it online and sending a link to the list, rather than embedding a large picture or attachment in your email. You can send small (<1 MB) attachments if you must. Please send sparingly - we want the list to be easy to read and download for everyone, everywhere, regardless of local network speeds, etc.

Remember that there are uncountable numbers of different email applications in use, and no one format will look great everywhere, under all circumstances. Keep your messages as simply structured as possible, and keep in mind that some list members may read them in plain text format, without colors and fonts.

When you post to the members' mailing list, members [at] origamiusa [dot] org should be in the "To" field and should be the only destination email address in your message.

This means that you cannot CC anyone on list postings. This is to save third parties from having their addresses exposed to the entire list without their consent. As a side effect, you cannot CC even yourself, nor can you post to multiple lists simultaneously.

And the members mailing list address needs to be in the "To" field, rather than the CC or BCC field, so that people replying to your message can easily reply to the list.

By default, when you hit "reply", the list's address will be placed in the "To" field of your mail. If you don't want many hundreds of people to read your post, check the "To" field before sending! (It's a fine habit to get into, anyway.)

All new list member accounts start out moderated. That means that new members' posts will be held by the system until one of the list administrators reviews it for adherence to the posting guidelines. Any member can request to be "de-moderated" at any time (email the moderators at members-owner [at] origamiusa [dot] org, but you do need to ask to be demoderated: it doesn't happen automatically.

The members' mailing list uses the email address that is associated with your OrigamiUSA membership (and your website account), so if you change one, it will change them all. To make this change, after signing into your website account, go to:

http://origamiusa.org/user/me/edit

You can enter a new email address there.

Sorry, no. The email address at which you are subscribed must be the one associated with your website account and with your OrigamiUSA membership.

No, please use only the settings on your subscription page to manage your subscription.

No, sorry, for this list we do not maintain a public archive, though we hope to create one in the future.

No, sorry. Yahoo makes it very hard to get to the archives in a useful way, though we are exploring some options.

No. And neither can anyone else (outside of the list owners). OrigamiUSA doesn't give, rent, or sell lists of member information to anyone, and that policy extends to our members' email addresses.

The mailing list sends all postings to all members, including you. So if you post something to the list, you'll get a copy once it's passed moderation (or immediately if you are unmoderated).

However, some email clients, notably Gmail, automatically file received messages where you're the sender. Gmail helpfully (?) and automatically refiles such messages into your "All Mail" folder. If you look there, or search for your messages, you'll find them. In other words, it has nothing to do with the members' list, but rather is part of the Gmail email client. ( There is, as far as we have been able to determine, no way around this other than to change email clients.)

Write to the owner/moderators at members-owner [at] origamiusa [dot] org. Please be as detailed as possible in your query and we'll try to clear things up.

Special Sessions are classes held in the Fall and Spring, one Sunday per month for 3 consecutive months. There are 10 classes of varying skill levels offered on each day, 5 in the morning and 5 in the afternoon. Students may sign up for one class in the morning and one in the afternoon. They are a fundraiser for OrigamiUSA and are held in the American Museum of Natural History. All the teachers volunteer to teach at these events.

The Fall sessions are usually held in October, November, December (and sometimes January.) The Spring sessions are usually held in March, April and May. They are usually held on the 1st Sunday of the month. The morning session is from 10:30 – 12:30 and the afternoon session is from 2:30 – 5:00. Please check Special Sessions for the most current information.

No. Special Sessions are specific classes that you sign up for and pay for by the class. However, since there are 5 classes being taught concurrently it has the atmosphere of a small origami convention (about 40-50 people.) The classes are taught in 2- and 2.5-hour sessions and they tend to be smaller in class size than the Annual Convention, so it is more relaxed.

No, you do not have to be a member to attend, but there are price breaks that make it less expensive if you are a member. There are always some simple classes being taught at each session.

Go to the Special Sessions area of this website.

Go to the Special Sessions page. We have an on-line model menu that is updated as we get photos for the classes. If you do not see a photo for the class you are interested in, check back in a few days.

Contact the Special Sessions Team.

This new system helps to bring consistency and clarity to our submission and review process. Your submissions are valuable, and we want to make sure that we have a reliable way to process your work and honor your intentions.

We need some minimum contact information for you in order to send you your compensation (a free copy of the publication or two months membership in OrigamiUSA). We get that from your account information. This way, you only have to enter this information once. Plus, if you update this information later, it will change for all your submissions.

No, it just means the website will know who you are. Joining OrigamiUSA is a separate thing. See here for details.

No. We don’t give out, rent, or sell any contact information, and if you’re not a member of OrigamiUSA, you won’t get any mailings of any sort other than ones directly relevant to your submission.

The only people who can see your contact information are the publication editors (who may need to communicate with you) and the administrator of our membership system.

You can also send submissions via postal mail. See the instructions on the submission page.

On the submission form, there’s a set of checkboxes to indicate your choices. You can submit to one, several, or all of our publications.

We’d like you to fill out a separate form for each distinct article or set of diagrams, but if your submission contains several files--for example, an article plus several illustrations, or several separate pages of diagrams for a single model, you should submit all of those together as a single submission. The file uploader can accept multiple files.

Yes. To revoke or change your permissions just log in and change your form online. We’ll honor your most recent version of your permission form, although the system will keep a copy of all your previous forms to maintain an audit trial.

No; all copyright resides with its original owner, e.g., you. You’re just giving us permission to use your material.

Yes. Your submission will be reviewed by the appropriate people in OrigamiUSA, and they will get back to you, usually within several weeks. We may ask for changes to be made for your submission. We cannot, of course, guarantee that we will use what you send us.

Yes. You can see all of your past submissions on this page. You can also edit them, for example, to add or remove permissions or to provide updated content.

The Publications Committee accepts and welcomes diagram submissions all year long, as we are continually working on books. For the Origami Collection, we need three months prior to the release date (which coincides with the current year's NY Origami Convention at the end of June) to produce the book. All submissions after that date will be considered for future publications.

There is no fixed deadline; submissions are accepted on an ongoing basis. We welcome articles, news, and diagrams at any time.

The Fold is an online magazine publication produced by the OrigamiUSA community, accessed through the website (http://www.origamiusa.org/thefold). Most content is available only to current members of OrigamiUSA; some content is available to all visitors to our website.

Unlike print origami magazines, The Fold is not restricted to page limits or other print restrictions. Articles for The Fold can be more comprehensive than print allows by utilizing multimedia forms of communication: not just text and images, but animations, sound, even video. Additionally, online publication is not restricted to a rigid printing schedule. Articles for each issue are posted as soon as they are ready, as opposed to being held for publication until the end of the month, so new content appears continuously.

Yes. You can be automatically notified of each new article posting by subscribing to our RSS feed, feed://origamiusa.org/thefold/feed. If you bookmark this page in your browser, it will show you when new content has been posted.

The Fold is a separate publication from The Paper, which will continue to be printed and sent to all members. Each publication has its own content, though they may occasionally share content. The Paper will continue as a print publication; The Fold is only available in an online version.

The Fold and all back issues are available to any current member of OrigamiUSA who has an email address and can access the internet. Joining OrigamiUSA is easy and inexpensive! You can join Origami USA online. Once you have joined, you will need to sign up for a web account and then log into the website. See here for details.

Yes, some articles are denoted “open access” and are available to all visitors. You’ll see them clearly marked that way in the listings for each issue.

As with any online venture, The Fold is vulnerable to content being pirated and illegally distributed online. All text, photos, and diagrams that we publish are accompanied by a notice that it is material obtained from OrigamiUSA. We hope that since OrigamiUSA membership is relatively inexpensive, instances of piracy will be low due to content being readily, inexpensively, and legally available. The notice posted on diagrams is the following:

Nothing will prevent a determined person from doing something like that, but we hope that by clearly marking the content and making it available inexpensively (for the price of a year’s membership, or less if you contribute your own articles), people will refrain from unauthorized distribution, understanding that if contributors see their work posted all over the internet against their wishes, they’ll be much less likely to contribute future work at all.

There are no current plans to do anything like that, but if you’ve got expertise in that area and would like to get involved, we’d love to hear from you. Contact the website team at website [at] origamiusa [dot] org.

In order to see most articles in The Fold, you need to (a) be a current OrigamiUSA member, (b) have an online web account connected to your membership and (c) be signed in. If all of these things are true, you will see a banner at the top of the web page that looks like this:

You’ll see your username (in orange) and whether you are a member (in white) in the upper right corner. If you’re not seeing this at the top of this web page (with your username), you're not signed in or you're not a current member; please see our web account FAQ for further details on web accounts.

Anyone can contribute! We accept content from the worldwide origami community.

Contact any current Editor as listed here. If you already know the topic area in which you would like to contribute, please contact that editor specifically.

Contributing content to The Fold is a great way to get your work out to a large audience, while maintaining a large amount of control of how your content is displayed. Contributing is also a wonderful way to support OrigamiUSA and to get free membership!

The Fold is a diverse online publication that publishes many different types of content. Possible types of content include diagrams, crease patterns, and book reviews, as well as articles on origami design, origami mathematics, and origami convention reports, but we are open to any type of content you’d like to provide!

A good article submission should consist of unique, novel content that constructively contributes to the world of origami. Insightful commentary and background on the content is also solicited. For example, an article containing diagrams might also include a paragraph on the model’s design process, some biographical information on the work’s designer, or tips on how to fold the model.

It depends on where your diagrams are published. If they are in a recently published convention book, we will probably not accept them as they are already readily available. If they are published in an out-of-print publication, we would be more willing to publish as they are not currently accessible by the origami community.

If you contribute an article or diagrams that are accepted, you will be given two months free membership in OrigamiUSA for each contribution. If you are an existing member, your membership will be extended by two months for each contribution.

Yup.

Not a problem. We’re happy to mark your article contributions with your desired CC license and make it open-access (available to all visitors).

Yes, but we will probably only print it in one or two of the three publications. You can specify which publication(s) you’re submitting it to, but of course, we’re happy if you leave the choice up to us. You’ll get the reward associated with the publication(s) that it’s printed in.

Not quite. While editors are also contributors, editors have made additional commitments. Editors are responsible for finding high quality content for the magazine, not necessarily responsible for producing content themselves. An Editor is in charge of a column based on an origami topic, perhaps for example, “Origami Crease Patterns”. The Editor would then be in charge of obtaining novel and interesting content based on that topic on a periodic basis, typically six times per year (once per issue).

The definition of an editor is not inflexible, and there are variations (for example, we have one editor who just does copyediting). If you’d like to contribute in some way, please contact The Fold at thefold [at] origamiusa [dot] org and tell us what you’re interested in doing.

An Editor’s term lasts for a year and then is renewed by mutual agreement.

An Editor is at minimum required to submit six articles for publication over the course of one year, averaging about one article every two months. In addition, Editors should review and comment on the articles of other Editors prior to publication.

No. In general, editors are only required to obtain content (for example from contributors), not necessarily provide the content themselves, though many do.

As is the case with most people who do work for OrigamiUSA, The Fold’s editors are volunteers. However, editors are in charge of what content is published in The Fold, so if an editor decides to contribute original content to their column, they will be compensated as a contributor (see above).

Any OrigamiUSA member is eligible to become an Editor of The Fold. Because Editors need access to The Fold to do their job, being a current member of OrigamiUSA is a requirement for being an Editor of The Fold. (If you are contributing your own articles, you get two months membership with each article, so that would work.)

Send an application to the current Managing Editor. An application should consist of your contact information, a proposal for the type of content you hope to contribute, and a draft of your first article. The body of current editors will review new Editor applications. You can find a listing of current editors, including the Managing Editor, here.

Once you are accepted as an editor, you’ll get access to a how-to document that describes the whole process. You will use a web-based interface to upload articles and image files. It helps if you know a little bit of HTML (which is the format of uploaded articles), but even if you don’t know any yet, you can probably learn what you need to know fairly quickly.

The Paper is the print magazine of OrigamiUSA. It contains origami news, events, book reviews, articles by and about leaders in the Origami community, tips & techniques, and diagrams for everyone from beginners to experienced folders.

Membership in OrigamiUSA includes a subscription to The Paper. More information about the organization, and how to join, is available here.

There is no fixed deadline; submissions are accepted on an ongoing basis. We welcome articles, news, and diagrams at any time.

No, anyone can shop at and purchase from The Source. You do have to have a website account and be logged in, so that you can access your past purchases and file downloads, but those are free and, if you don't have one, registration is quick and easy.

If you are a member of OrigamiUSA, though, you get an automatic 10% discount on all your purchases. If you'd like to do that, joining is also quick and easy!

Unfortunately, we do not accept returns; all sales are final.

Email is the best way (origamisource [at] origamiusa [dot] org). Please include your name and your order number (which you can find on your order receipt). If email fails, you can call the phone number on your receipt.

All in-stock items ship within 1-2 days via USPS Priority Mail. The arrival time varies by location: the USPS predicts 2-3 days for domestic service and 6-10 business days for international service.

All orders, both domestic and international, are shipped by USPS Priority Mail.

For online purchases, we only accept credit cards: Visa or Mastercard. Unfortunately, we don't accept PayPal or wire transfer.

For orders placed by mail using our downloadable form, we can accept a check in US$ on a US bank. However, it is not possible to purchase file downloads using the paper form.

Your payments are secure. We use https at checkout so that your credit card information is encrypted when it is transmitted to us and to our payment processor. And then once your payment is processed (by a mainstream credit card processor), we do not store your credit card information in our system. (We do store the last 4 digits with your order as an identifier, but not the first 12, and not the security code.)

The goal of the Source is to provide a good selection of high-quality origami books, paper, and materials. We set prices so that the Source operates at a small profit, which goes back into supporting member activities. While we try to keep prices low, we unfortunately can't match the economies of scale of places like Amazon and Wal-Mart. If price is absolutely critical to you, by all means, buy your books elsewhere; but if you buy from OrigamiUSA, you'll not only get some great origami materials, but your purchase will also help promote this art to our members and to the world.

Yes; see here:

http://origamiusa.org/guidelines-for-download-sellers

No. The material we display and/or link to is decided based solely on the Web Editor's judgment of its value to our membership.

Click on any of the RSS icons (orange icon) on the Web site and this will launch the RSS/XML feed page. Copy the URL of that page and paste it into your feed reader application, or subscribe directly to the RSS feed if you're using a Web browser such as Firefox or Safari.

If you have a question or comment that pertains specifically to the website, you can contact us directly at website [at] origamiusa [dot] org. If your question is about a particular area of OrigamiUSA, please look at our contact page to find the right person or committee to contact.

A website account is a username/password combination that allows you to log in to the OrigamiUSA website; when you are logged in, if you are a current member of OrigamiUSA, you can access personalized and members-only content. You can also see and edit your own OrigamiUSA membership information, again, if you are a member.

No; a website account simply allows the website to recognize you as an individual; it is not a membership in OrigamiUSA. You can have one, or the other, or both.

Anyone can create and use a website account; you do not need to be an OrigamiUSA member. However, you will not be able to see the members-only content on the website without a current OrigamiUSA membership and a website account.

All current members as of November 1, 2010 who had email addresses on file had website accounts created for them and received a postal mailing with their username and password. After November 1, 2010, new members are asked to create their own website account when they sign up for OrigamiUSA membership; other visitors to the site (or those who sent in a paper membership form) can create a website account by clicking on the REGISTER link at the top of the page.

Simply click on the LOGIN link at the top of the page, enter your username and password, and click “Submit.” Once you are logged in, you will see a personalized welcome message in the menu bar and will see a new MY ACCOUNT menu that contains personalized content; other members-only content, like members-only articles in The Fold, the online magazine, may be found in some of the other menus (e.g., PUBLICATIONS>The Fold).

You probably do not need one for most activities, but for some event registrations, it is necessary to be logged in to a website account in order to register for the event. Also, you'll need a website account to order books and paper from The Origami Source.

No; most of the content that you see on the website now will remain visible to all visitors, whether or not they have website accounts.

You remain logged in until you explicitly log out (by clicking the LOGOUT link in the menu bar). This happens even if you turn off your computer, so you should always log out when you are leaving a computer if others could access it (such as in a library or public space).

Sometimes when we are doing site maintenance or upgrades, everyone will be logged off automatically. If that happens, the next time you visit, you'll see the LOGIN link instead of the welcome message; just click the link and log in again with your username and password.

The email address of your website account must be the same as the primary email address we have in your OrigamiUSA membership record. If you change your OrigamiUSA membership email, that will change the email of your website account, and vice-versa.

Also, you can’t change your email address to be the same as one that another member is using.

On the LOGIN page, there is a “Request New Password” tab; click that, and it will send a one-time login link to the email address that we have on file for you. That will allow you to log in and change your password to something new.

Everyone who was a current member of OrigamiUSA in November 2010 had an account created for them, so you might already have one. To find out, go to the Request New Password page, enter your email address, and submit it; if there was already a user account with that address, you'll get an email with a login link that will let you log in, find out your username, and change your password.

Most members-only content is in the MY ACCOUNT menu (the rightmost menu, which is only visible when you are logged in). The Fold is under the PUBLICATIONS menu.

You will only be able to see most members-only content if you are logged in AND your OrigamiUSA membership is current. If your membership has expired, you will not be able to see members-only content until you renew. Instead, you will see a notice that your membership is expired.

If you renew online, as soon as you see the confirmation page from your renewal, you will again have access to members-only content. If you renew by mail, it will take a few days.

If they have different email addresses, they each can have a website account. It is not possible for two different website accounts to have the same email address; nor is it possible for one website account to access two different OrigamiUSA memberships.

No. OrigamiUSA will never give out, rent, or sell any information about any member, in bulk, or individually.

That means that if someone asks us specifically for one person's email address, we won't give that out; instead, we will forward the request to the individual so that they can choose to respond directly or not.

We only use your email address for mailings from OrigamiUSA about your specific account or about specific OrigamiUSA matters -- and we strive to be sparing in the latter.