Objective
Paper tuning is a rudimentary technique used to find a starting point in improving the quality of your arrow flight, which can then be further refined using methods that’ll finetune the setup.
What you’re trying to achieve is to place the arrow precisely in front of the power stroke of the bow in the flattest possible horizontal and vertical planes.
Preparation
Ensure you the bow is set within the manufacturer’s specifications for the bow:
- Axle-to-axle
- Brace height
- Cam timing
- Ensure the spine of your arrows meets the specifications of the bow.
Ensure that the rest is set with the middle of the arrow between roughly 19 mm to 22mm from the riser, depending on the specification of the manufacturer. The perfect spot is around 20.6mm, or 13/16 in.
Set up a paper tuning jig. Ensure you have the correct tools available to adjust your rest, yokes, or move the axles, depending on your bow.
Technique
- Stand approximately 1.75 m from the jig, measured from the riser.
- Shoot a fletched arrow through it.
- Study the tear in the paper.
- Adjust your bow – Refer to the Arrow Flight Tuning Reference.
- Correct the vertical tear first before correcting the horizontal tear.
- Do not adjust the rest more than about 3.175mm from the centre shot as per the manufacturer’s specifications. Something else is wrong if it looks like you need to do this, most likely a clearance issue.
- Move the cams first, then make finer adjustments with the rest.
Repeat until you get close to a perfectly round hole:
Notes
Consistent hand pressure and good shooting form is crucial to perform a successful paper tune.
A slight high nock tear is not always bad. It helps the rear of the arrow and fletches to clear the arrow rest. Do not however go below the height of the arrow rest with the nock as the arrow will start hitting into it. You may also develop clearance issues with your fletching.
Make sure to note the cam lean on the bow using a drawboard. If the cam lean varies in the draw cycle, you may need to correct that first before setting the rest.
Arrow Flight Tuning Reference – Paper
| Nock Left | Nock Right | Nock High | Nock Low | |
| Paper tear |  |  |  |  |
| Move Rest | Right | Left | Raise | Lower |
| Move Nock Point | Left | Right | Lower | Raise |
| Cam/Yoke | Twist Left Yoke & untwist Right Yoke | Twist Right Yoke & untwist Left Yoke | Slow down top cam or speed up bottom cam. | Speed up top cam or slow down bottom cam. |
| Cable Guard | Decrease Load. Move towards arrow. | Increase Load. Moving away from arrow. | ||
| Arrow | Weak Arrow Spine. | Stiff Arrow Spine. | ||
| Other | Decrease Peak Draw weight. | Increase Peak Draw weight. | Adjust launcher tension. | Adjust launcher tension. |