Pulp & Press

I had kind of a crap day yesterday. Not awful, but I was just feeling irritated and stressed. I stopped into Paper Source to pick up some envelopes for holiday card samples (pics soon!), and I was sucked into the wall of gadgets. Earlier in the week I had a meeting with someone who mentioned a paper punch that would round corners, which I had never thought of (those scrapbookers sure are clever). I decided to pick one up, and when I tried it out at home last night it filled me with an unnatural level of glee. How could something so simple make things look so cool?



I've always loved rounded corners, but thought the only way to achieve them was with a die cutter. I've got a hand rolled die cutter that I can use for just such occasions, but the dies are expensive and the process somewhat laborious. Someday I'd like to get Leonard outfitted for die cutting or get some sort of digital die cutter, but for now this little punch is making me pretty happy.



I've also been on a massive paper hunt recently, trying to add some new options for invitations and letterpress printing. Amanda from Spilled Ink Press and I have been zeroing in on options for our new hybrid line of invitations, and we'll hopefully start putting together sample books for our clients in the next couple of weeks. One of the types of paper I'm definitely adding is made from elephant poo!



There isn't actually any poo in the paper – rather, they wash all the poo off and what's left is nicely pulped fibers ready to be mixed in with post-consumer waste and made into new paper. Basically they're using the elephants' stomachs as fiber pulpers, and the resulting paper is thick, takes a letterpress impression really well, and comes in a lovely array of colors.



The poo paper definitely provides an "earthier" look, with visible fibers and a handmade quality. If a client is looking for a smoother, more consistent color, I'm excited to now be able to offer the handmade papers from Twinrocker:



These come in so many shades, thicknesses, and surface textures! I'm particularly excited about the double thick papers, because they are rigid yet soft, and will work great with edge painting. They are all made with post-industrial waste cotton and not bleached at all, hand pulled in Indiana so they're even local! Sweet. I'm still working on verifying that this next paper made from jute fits within my eco standards, but it sure is pretty:



It's so thick and pillowy, and obviously looks amazing with letterpress printing. I'm really hoping that I'll be able to use it! The last new papers I'll be adding are from Porridge Papers, a letterpress and paper making studio in Nebraska. I'm anxiously awaiting samples from them, but I already know they're going to be amazing. OK – enough paper geekery for now. Time for grilled cheeses!

Pulp & Press Soundtrack:  No Better Than This (John Mellencamp). Totally obsessed with anything T-Bone Burnett related.