New sheets

This has been an impressive year for new and intriguing papers. And most striking of all is the new Chromático. This lusciously coloured translucent paper, the brainchild of Paris-based paper design group Thibierge & Comar, is claimed to have been inspired by the glassblowers of Venice. The paper is smooth and rigid with a frosted surface, and takes well to all sorts of printing and finishes such as embossing, hot-foil blocking and varnishing. With care it is also suitable for ink jet and laser printing.

The stock is produced in 12 colours – including indigo, azure, mango, vermilion and even black – in different weights and sizes and is available in the UK through Robert Horne. If you haven’t seen this yet, call for a swatch.

Novelty papers have become a theme – like Pecunia by Dutch paper-maker Meerssen & Palm – made from shredded Dutch bank notes and sold in the UK through Fenner Paper. And there’s the unusual metallic papers series from Arjo Wiggins to complement its KeayKolour range. The stock comes in Anodised, Ionised, Lustre, Galvanised and my favourite… Rusted. I’ve no idea how this effect has been achieved, but the paper really does sparkle with a metallic sheen.

Also from Arjo is a range of two-tone, parchment finish papers to add to the Stratakolour collection. Billed as “the world’s only two-tone parchment paper”, the colours include pink and terracotta, purple and green and red and purple. These colourful creative papers come close on the heels of the relaunch at the end of last year of the Conqueror stock in its new choice of rich and deep tones designed to give the famous stationery brand a new life in text and cover use.

Zanders has been busy expanding its offer too – traditional stationery brand Zeta has now grown to include more colours, finishes, sizes and weights. And, on the subject of letterhead papers, there is the Zanders Distinction range comprising four paper types; Modern Laid, watermarked and with a satin finish; Elegance, smooth and crisp with watermark; Publishing, an unwatermarked version of Elegance and Prestige, a delicious cotton-rich luxury paper. The same company has launched its own coloured tracing paper, T2000. This can be printed in mono and four colour using offset and all conventional printing processes including laser and inkjet. Zanders Ikonorex and Ikonofix ranges of coated papers have, at last, been bundled together as Ikono. The range is available in five product areas: gloss, silk, silk ivory, matt and colour, making specifying easier,

The upmarket Traditional range of stationery papers from Curtis Fine Papers has seen new additions. There’s Parchment – acid-free and suitable for archive use, and Blotting – which is made with visible fibres in the mix. Due to popular demand, the crown watermark has been put back into the Eden Grove section of this range and it has gained a laser guarantee. Cutting right against the trend for strong bright colours, Curtis has also developed Classic Ice White, which it claims is the whitest in the business stationery market. It’s available in paper and board weights with matching envelopes.

Paper-maker Tullis Russell has teamed up with merchant Bunzl to launch Advocate on the market. A useful smooth business paper, it’s available in Smooth and Silky Wove and is laser guaranteed. The company has also improved the big selling Trucard by making it yet whiter, smoother and with a glossier finish. To guide buyers through the maze of stationery papers on the market, Guppy has issued a catalogue of business papers with descriptions and technical data on more than three dozen ranges.

If digital printing is still confounding you, paper-maker Enso has produced a technical handbook with sections on press configurations, troubleshooting and hints for designers. The company has also extended it range of hi-tech papers to include a coated version of the high-profile 4CC. This is suitable for use in colour copiers, fast colour and black and white laser printers, as well as offset pre-printing. There is a choice of a gloss coating or a matt finish. Paper merchant Brand Paper offers more digital printing advice with its Digi-Helpline. There’s expert advice on selecting products suitable for digital printing; this follows on from the launch of Brand paper’s Indigo range of guaranteed digital paper designed to work with Indigo’s E-Print 1000 digital press.

And finally, the high value of the pound is good news for some businesses – MoDo merchants are offering their gorgeous German-made Gmund papers – Havanna, The Naturals and Kashmir – at up to 20 per cent off. The merchant says the strong pound and bulk-buying have enabled them to make this attractive price cut. Also Robert Horne has reduced the price of the luxurious French-made linen paper called Canevas, hurry now while the deals last.

Samples and info

Tullis Russell DesignLine

Tel: 0800 747477

Gmund

Tel: 01932 335 566

Zanders

Tel: 01732 591900

Curtis Exchange

Tel: 0500 200 119

Robert Horne Paperlink

Tel: 0345 443322

Enso from Brand

Tel: 0800 525197

Wiggins Teape

Tel: 01256 724724

Brand Paper Digi-Helpline

Tel: 0468 898296

Fenner Paper

Tel: 01732 771100