LCI Paper Company is pleased to announce the expansion of its Japanese Specialty Paper collection. With the addition of several new tissues, chiyogami papers, and a printer-friendly Modern Classics Collection, LCI has added much creative variety for those seeking the exquisite beauty, quality, and versatility of Japanese paper.

As with all of LCI’s Japanese Specialty Paper, the new additions are products of The Japanese Paper Place; a company that prides itself on offering only authentic Japanese imports of the utmost quality. For over fourteen hundred years, the manufacturing of Japanese paper has remained a family affair, governed by the principles of great care, quality, and respect for the environment. In both appearance and caliber, these long standing traditions resonate throughout Japanese papers, placing them in a superior category of their own.

Jessica Mann of The Japanese Paper Place had the following to say on these traditional principles:

Most of the paper studios we deal with, whether chiyogami or tissue or modern classic or pearlized, are currently run by people whose families made paper by hand for generations, so it is natural that their high standards have remained unchanged.

With these high standards in place, LCI Paper is proud to offer its customers the premier products of The Japanese Paper Place.

By expanding its selection of Japanese Specialty Paper, LCI hopes to meet the creative needs of a wider audience of visitors. As customers are always seeking modern options, LCI Paper Company has expanded its collection to coincide with recent trends in pattern, color, and design. The new chiyogami, tissue, and Modern Classics are found below:

Chiyogami

Chiyogami is durable, easy to work with, and has the ability to add an opulent feel to any creative project. The bold and vibrant patterns of chiyogami make it ideal for creating distinctive layered invitations, scrap-book pages, and envelope liners.

The new chiyogami patterns:

	Arabesque Green Gold		Arabesque Blue Silver
	Wedgewood Blue Peony		Purple Plum Bough
	Bough Spring Plum		Leaf Sprig Chocolate
	Dots Chocolate Ivory		Mum Gold Black
	Mum Silver Pink		Filigree Ice Blue Silver
	Filigree Green Gold		Filigree Fuchsia Silver
	Floral Pattern Cranberry		Pink Peony

Jessica Mann, on the the new chiyogami patterns:

We often look for patterns that are Japanese-inspired to be true to the history of chiyogami, but with a western sensibility too.

There is a nice range in terms of potential occasions: Leaf Sprig on Chocolate and Chocolate and Ivory Dots are more gender-neutral than the average (mostly floral) patterns and would work nicely for a man’s special occasion, retirement party or simply fine stationery liners. The pink and silver patterns were developed specifically for girls’ Bat Mitzvahs, and would be perfect for Quinceañera or sweet sixteen invitations as well.

Japanese Tissue Paper

The sheer and delicate nature of tissue makes it ideal for invitation overlays and wraps, envelope linings, or light and tasteful embellishments.

The new Japanese Tissues are pictured below:

	Gride White		Ino Daisy Apricot
	Kingin Nekoyanagi		Kingin White
	Mizutama White		Seikaiha White
	Uzumaki Ajisai		Uzumaki Beige

Modern Classics Collection

The Modern Classics are the most notable additions to LCI’s Japanese Paper Collection. Each of these fine papers is a modern version of a historical classic, without the cost or limitations of the traditional versions. As each of these papers are as lovely as they are printer-friendly, they are perfect for a wide range of creative projects.

The Modern Classics:

	Asagami Usucha		Gold Fleck
	Kiri-Ita		Mokume
	Obonai Cream		Obonai White

Jessica Mann discusses the new “Modern Classics”:

Each paper in this category is a modern, machine-made take on a traditional original. While the original papers would have been hand-made from painstakingly prepared kozo bark, the cost of traditional methods of production is too high to compete with Western machine-made papers. So these papers were developed: incorporating the speed and economy of Western style papermaking, but keeping the distinctive Japanese finishes that made the originals so special and the quality control that keeps the standard high.

So you have Kiri-ita (literally “Pawlonia wood board”) that used to be a brittle wood veneer paper of actual Pawlonia wood (image, right) that’s now made as a paper with a printed image of the veneer, giving the same appearance with much less expense and greater flexibility. Or the Obonai papers, machine-made now but still with traditional kozo fibres sprinkled across the surface.

Likewise with the Gold Fleck, with its subtle dusting of gold and Asagami decorated with visible abaca fibres. Also Mokume, an embossed paper based on the subtle wood grain imprint left on traditional papers from being dried on wooden boards (image, left).

On the growing trend towards Modern Classics:

They are really perennial favourites that people have enjoyed for years for their subtle beauty and printability; but they’ve been a well-kept secret. Despite our best efforts, they are not widely known, so we’re happy to introduce them to a wider audience. Once people try them, they keep coming back to them! It helps that they are printable: people can easily run them through their home printers and combine them with other Japanese papers for a consistent look.

For more information on LCI Japanese Specialty Paper, please visit the links below.

Recommended Links:
LCI’s Japanese Specialty Paper
Interview with Nancy Jacobi and Jessica Mann of The Japanese Paper Place
Japanese Paper: A Long Tradition of Respect for the Environment

Kristen Desrosier