Project Description

Experimenting with paper and ink combinations has been a longstanding passion here at Paragon. We work very closely with printers not just on color and quality, but also to push the boundaries of what's possible. After years of employing these techniques and our knowledge of press processes on commercial projects, we sat down one day with the idea to transfer this skill set into a product line. It's taken us a few years to actually do it, but in December of 2015 we finally launched Paragon Papers, a luxury wrapping paper line. Our first collection called Holiday Blues features 3 distinctive papers; Gatsby, Indigo Hyde and Galileo.

Gatsby is the first of many art deco explorations. We love the style of the gilded era, with complex yet strikingly simple patterns that transport you to a time when gifts were chosen by hand, wrapped and delivered with flair and panache. Using only 2 PMS colors, we began with a deep blue backdrop to ensure our metallic gold would really pop, then added more depth and complexity using a clear UV gloss to create the lattice work and reinforce the metallic gold. During the production process the PMS inks had to printed first, before a second dry pass could be done to apply the UV gloss lattice. The completed finishes make the paper both interesting to see and touch. The perfect paper for fedoras, typewriters and green lights.

Indigo Hyde is a paper that allowed us to explore texture as well as the visual of supple leather. We wanted to really create a realistic texture, so we pulled in high res artwork and stitched together a seamless pattern. In production this was 2-step process. Step one was a full-color press run, and step two was dry pass in which a soft touch film was laminated over the entire sheet to create a buttery-soft feel. The soft-touch film was chosen because of a custom velvety finish that reinforces the blue leather concept. While the effect of the lamination is quite subtle and is not visibly noticeable, when compared to other papers it is surprisingly different and feels luxurious. Our goal is to explore even more papers that bring a tactile experience as well as beautiful designs.

Galileo is another beautiful combination of design, high quality printing and unique custom inks. When starting the design, we pulled in antique star charts and really tried to create an authentic representation of the night sky. This was done with 1 PMS color for the night blue background. The stars were printed using a glow-in-the dark ink which was applied as a dry pass (separate from the print run) and done on a silk screen unit. A separate plate was necessary for the dry pass, so when setting up the file, we had to isolate the individual stars as a separate spot color. The glow-in-the-dark overlay makes this paper more than just an afterthought, it is an interactive experience.

For the paper itself we ultimately settled on Endurance Satin 80# text for all three because of its opacity and strength. The thickness of the paper was just enough to make it feel luxurious and remain wrinkle-free, but stopped shy of being so thick that wrapping a gift would be difficult.