Paper Samples ☜

Here are a few highlights from my small, but growing, collection of vintage paper-company samples. Originally produced for the offset printing, advertising, and design worlds, these pieces were meant to show off new paper lines and were rarely available to the general public. Most take the form of booklets, but you’ll also find posters, calendars, and the occasional elaborate boxed set. Designed to highlight a paper’s range of colors, textures, and weights, they’re almost always beautifully crafted and often delightfully over-the-top. Think clever die-cuts, unusual folds, embossing, specialty inks, tipped-in inserts, and all kinds of tactile surprises.

If you happen to have interesting paper samples from the 1950s–80s that you’d consider donating, selling, or trading, I’d love to hear from you. I’m especially on the lookout for pieces from Strathmore, Hammermill, Linweave, Mohawk, and Springhill, just to name a few.