Nothing compares to beautiful cotton paper - HAND MADE... one sheet at a time
Handmade Paper | 100% Recycled Cotton Rag | Chemical Free
Inkjet Printable | Whitest of Whites | Deckled Edged | Professional Printing Available
Due to the handmade nature of the paper, size is approximate.
CHEMICAL FREE
Paper made with wood pulp disintegrates when wet, however cotton rag paper does not. Cotton paper is also superior in strength and durability to wood pulp paper and some cotton fibre has been known to last hundreds of years without much fading, discolouration or deterioration.
Nothing compares to beautiful cotton paper - HAND MADE... one sheet at a time
COTTON RAG FROM TEXTILE MILLS
The paper factory is purposefully located right in the heart of the textile production area in north-western India and employs paper makers from villages nearby to hand-make the paper. The cotton rag for the pulp is sourced from textile scraps which are collected from the nearby textile mills.
WHITEST OF WHITES
Our Indie Handmade Lily White colour has a whiteness rarely seen in handmade cotton paper and is dependent upon the quality of the rag and fibre used. The Lily White colour is created using quality white hosiery cotton used in making vests, Tshirts and singlets.
TURNING RAGS INTO PULP
The rags and fibre are added to a giant vat where sizing and water are added. It is chopped, beaten and mixed. Then it is lifted out of the vat with the help of a silk screen which is made in a frame the size of each individual sheet. Each paper size has its own deckle which has been custom-made in sizes to match our large range of metric envelopes. The thickness of the paper is determined by the quantity of the pulp that remains on the screen and the screen is made according to the gsm. That said, some sheets might be heavier or slightly thicker than others.
SQUEEZE & DRY
Once lifted, the paper sheet is then put into a press so all the excess water can be squeezed out. The sheets are then separated and hung out to dry before being packed and shipped.
NATURAL DECKLE EDGE
We choose for Indie Handmade to maintain its natural deckle edge, rather than trimming a perfectly straight edge. This look adds to the uniqueness of each individual hand-made sheet. Due to the handmade nature of the paper, size is approximate.
SCORING
Please note we cannot score Indie Handmade as the deckled edges means it won't feed through our machine. If you wish to score it yourself you can do so with a
bone scorer or similar.
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT - EACH BATCH IS DIFFERENT
We've been working with the mill to develop new techniques to find a balance between a slightly smoother finish for better print and hand-lettering results, yet maintaining a distinctly handmade surface. Some batches also have a more even edge created by hand-tearing to the desired size while the sheet is still wet. This creates a more even & consistent size for feeding into printers, commercial presses and envelopes, yet maintaining a unique & interesting finish. Check the current photos to see what your order will look like.
PERFORMANCE - RESULTS DEPEND ON THE PARTICULAR BATCH
Your paper is hand-made and as such, comes with many idiosyncrasies and inconsistencies. Before tackling any sort of printing, gently work the paper to correct any natural bend in the sheets.
LETTERPRESS PRINTING
Being 300gsm and made of soft cotton rag, Indie Handmade is perfect for letterpress printing, offering great ink coverage and a deep impression.
FOILING
Due to the uneven nature of handmade paper, you'll need a little extra pressure to ensure the foil gets into those 'pits', however you can expect awesome results overall.
HOME OR OFFICE LASER PRINTING
All printers are different, however it is unlikely your home laser printer can print onto Indie Handmade due to the gsm or thickness and texture of the paper. But you can only try...
HOME INKJET PRINTING
Due to the way an inkjet printer gets the ink onto a sheet, you can usually get amazing results. It depends on the ink the machine itself uses as to whether some may bleed more than others. Always use the highest quality setting and always test!
