Review: Organic vapor phase deposition (OVPD) opens new opportunities in the control of composition and structure of organic thin films. The use of this recently developed process is examined for the growth of four archetypal organic systems: a crystalline organic salt (the optically nonlinear charge transfer salt DAST, see Figure), amorphous and polymeric organic films, and an optically pumped organic laser (Alq(3) doped with Rhodamine 6G).