Papergram Press is a small Paris-based Letterpress studio founded by two passionate papermakers and illustrators:
Maud Lammens and Jonathan Lévy.
Each drawing is hand illustrated by Maud and then entrusted to Jonathan who lays them on the paper. We do everything entirely by hand.
For us, nature is a source of inspiration. Whether plants or animals, each card illustrates a beautiful moment, the beauty of nature or a magical universe where each animal comes to life and announces a beautiful event such as the birth of a child or a union.
We practice Letterpress printing, a way of giving back its nobility to paper by giving it a tactile rendering incomparable to digital printing.
It is this touch that we want to transmit, the one that brings our creations to life on paper, and the one that allows us not only to see, but to relearn how to touch it.
The technique
Letterpress printing is a relief printing technique. It is the oldest of the traditional printing techniques, dating back to 1450 with Gutenberg.
Originally, the surface to be printed was assembled by a typographer, or composer, letter by letter and line by line.
The first keyboard machines, Linotype and Monotype, were invented in the 1890s. This allowed newspapers to print large numbers of copies without damaging expensive fonts. The lines were then melted down and reused for the next edition.
Nowadays, some workshops still work with movable type, letter by letter, or with Linotype or Monotype typefaces.
Others, like us, work with photopolymer plates.
These plates, once photo-engraved, can be pressed onto paper, just like fonts, but in any desired shape.
Our presses
We work on two Adana brand presses, Eight-Five models. This press, whose design dates back to 1956, is a great classic of the so-called "tabletop" presses.
No electricity, a reduced printing surface (8x5 inches), a lower press power than with industrial machines, but a very high working flexibility and complete energy independence.
We clean, maintain and adjust our presses ourselves and we are very proud of this, so much so that, in keeping with tradition, we have given each one a name, Athena and Artemis.
The manufacture of the plates
We produce each of our plates in our workshop. From hand drawing to the production of the negatives required for photo-engraving, from the exposure of the photopolymer plates with a UV machine to their development with water, everything is done in-house and by hand.
The choice of paper
We work with paper suppliers who can guarantee us various certifications:
- The papers must be acid-free and, for obvious reasons, not bleached with chlorine gas.
- If they are made of cellulose, i.e. from wood, we require at least FSC certification to ensure that the production of the wood respects and guarantees the sustainable management of forests.
- If they are made of cotton, or a cotton-cellulose blend, we choose papers that are at least partially recycled and always recyclable.
Our values
We pay particular attention to ecology.
Indeed, we do our best to reduce our footprint as much as possible:
- Our presses do not use electricity, our papers are FSC certified when they are made of cellulose, and when they are made of cotton, we make sure that they are at least 80% recycled.
- Our inks, with rare exceptions such as fluorescent inks, are composed of organic and natural pigments and vegetable oil.
- Each card is individually wrapped in a UV-resistant, biodegradable and compostable protective pouch.
- Orders are shipped in a recycled, recyclable and compostable cardboard envelope thanks to La Poste's "Green Letter" service, which implies an extra day for delivery, but also a more environmentally friendly transport.
La Poste is the leading European player in voluntary carbon offsetting and is one of the world's top five players. It is the first major postal operator to ensure the total carbon neutrality of its solutions. - Finally, we attach fundamental importance to the fact that all our products are hand-made, without any sub-contracting and in an environmentally friendly manner.