Use Handmade Paper – Why, When & How
Handmade paper is made with love. Love of art and love for the environment. Concern for forests and a desire to do more with paper has sparked a resurgence of interest in handmade paper. Here are 4 reasons why you should switch to and use handmade paper now:
1. Handmade paper is upmarket and classy
Handmade paper just looks great. Rich colours, sumptuous textures and lacy, uneven edges. Its rare beauty comes from two sources:
– A lovingly careful making process
– Use of unique materials like coffee husk, corn husk, banana fibre, and cotton rags. Each fibre has its own physical properties and lends its own peculiar characteristic to handmade paper.
Handmade paper can be embellished with flower petals, jute, wool, grass and straw. It’s not just paper. It’s art!
2. Handmade paper products are rare and beautiful
The beauty and strength of handmade paper provides a great opportunity for creativity. Handmade paper can be used to make diverse and stylish products such as bags, diaries, envelopes, gifts and gift boxes, packaging, photo albums, paper mache boxes, office accessories and even home decor.
Bluecat Paper is excited to design and test some really inspired handmade paper products. Watch this space for more!
3. It’s the most eco-friendly paper in the world
Did you know one tonne of mill paper costs the earth 270 trees or 400 bamboo plants? On the other hand, no trees need to be harvested to create handmade paper. It is 100% recycled from plant fibres and cotton rags. There are also no chemicals used in the production of handmade paper. Even the drying process uses solar energy, so no energy is wasted. Handmade paper is easily the most eco-friendly kind of paper available. In other words, it is the paper of the future.
The Swedish government use handmade paper for its archival nature.
4. It is stronger
Handmade paper has greater tensile, bursting, tearing and double-fold strength compared to conventional paper. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, the natural bonding properties of raw materials used are higher. Secondly, the making process retains the original strength of the raw material by avoiding mass production techniques and corrosive chemicals. This makes handmade paper excellent for writing as well as printing. Screen printers use handmade paper as their preferred material.
So if you love beautiful things and are passionate about the environment, you have every reason to switch to handmade paper. It’s a little more expensive than mill paper. But considering the advantages, it’s a small price to pay! What’s more, you’ll become the fashionable trendsetter in your social circle. There’s definitely something about handmade paper.
Stay tuned for new and exciting handmade paper and handmade paper products from Bluecat Paper.