A New Pure Cotton Letterpress Paper & Letterpress Giveaway

For as long as I can remember, finding a great paper to use for letterpress printing has been a challenge. Don't get me wrong, there are thousands of papers that work well for letterpress, but there are few (very few!) that were created specifically for us and our special requirements. It is important that a letterpress paper be able to take varying degrees of impression without cracking, tearing, or bending; all the while retaining a soft, fabric-like texture that most of our clients are looking for. When clients spend on letterpress stationery, they want it printed on a truly fine paper that offers the tactile sensation they are looking for.

I was recently contacted by Mohawk, an American paper mill (est. 1892 - roughly the same time as our presses!) that recently released a new line of papers for letterpress printers: the Strathmore Pure Cotton Letterpress paper line. The Pure Cotton Letterpress line was designed to emulate the look and feel of handmade papers, and to my delight is available in not only Ultimate (Bright) and Soft White, but also in a Smoke Gray and Chino (a kraft brown). The only thing harder to find than a good letterpress paper is a colored one! Am I right?

Mohawk sent a variety of samples to us and I was excited to test them out. The Pure Cotton Letterpress line is available in 20 pt. and 40 pt. for letterpress printing, and I chose to test the 20 pt. sample first, since this is the weight I would use for most of our stationery work (with the 40 pt. being for clients and brides wanting to make a statement with a thicker stock). The 20 pt. cut nicely:

Next came the ink mixing – for the print I was going to make I decided on a light pink:

Next up was placement of our photopolymer plates from our friends at Boxcar Press, inking up, and registration:

And here is one of our prints on the sample sheet:

As you can see, the 20 pt. takes a nice impression, and the paper has a great texture. This is the Ultimate (bright) White sheet, which is their cooler white option. For invitation work, I would probably opt for the Soft White option, which is a more natural white (but not quite ivory or ecru).

A close-up of the impression and paper texture:

Overall, I am really impressed with the Strathmore Pure Cotton Letterpress paper. I think what I like most about it is that it seems to be a bit more resilient than some of the other papers we keep in stock. How can a paper be resilient? That sounds weird! But it is. We use another mill's letterpress paper for most of our projects these days, with the odd alternative thrown in here and there – but if you even look at our house paper the wrong way, it dents or marks. I love our house paper, but it's more moody and delicate, and needs special attention when moving it around the studio, cutting it, etc. The Strathmore Letterpress stock feels like it can withstand handling better – which is a big plus. And the extra strength does not come at the expense of the paper's texture, because it is still luxurious and fabric-like.

The new letterpress line also includes envelopes in 80 text to match the various paper colors, and are available with square or Euro (pointed) flaps. You can check out all the paper and envelope options listed in the Pure Cotton Letterpress information sheet. Orders for the Pure Cotton Letterpress line can be made online at Mohawkconnects.com or through your local paper merchant.

Our friends at Mohawk have provided us with beautiful sets of cards printed on their letterpress paper that feature variations on the signature Strathmore thistle mark (printed on the different colored papers from the line) for a giveaway here on Adventures in Letterpress.

We will choose 5 winners (!) at random on Sunday, September 14th, 2014 – winners will receive packages of the card sets above (including envelopes). To enter, simply leave a comment below and tell us who you'd send these gorgeous cards to if you won. Please note, this giveaway is open to residents of Canada and the USA only. Please do not leave your email address in the comments section – we will contact the winners for mailing addresses after the contest closes.

Good luck!

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This post is sponsored by Mohawk; however, all opinions expressed are our own. Thank you for supporting our sponsors!