Paper republic was born with a digital spirit and a deeply analogue soul. We look forward in every decision we make: from the materials we choose, to the processes we follow, to how we imagine our products evolving. But some things we have never questioned. Paper is one of them.
Paper has been travelling for nearly two thousand years. From its earliest forms in China to the mills of Europe, it has always carried the same purpose: giving ideas, records, drawings and words a place to land. For centuries, making paper was a slow and physical craft, shaped by water, fibres, pressure, drying and time. Then naturally, production evolved, becoming more precise, consistent and scalable.
The paper we use today carries something from both worlds. It benefits from modern knowledge, cleaner processes and exacting standards, while staying close to what paper should be: a natural material, made well, meant to last, and chosen for the way it feels under the hand.
In an age when everything moves fast and leaves little trace, writing by hand is a way of slowing down enough to mean what you say. The paper inside every paper republic product is not a background detail. It is where the experience truly begins.
chosen with care
We work with a small number of producers with whom we have built long-term relationships, and we do not change suppliers in search of a better price. Our papers come from mills in Sweden, Austria and Germany, each chosen for what it needs to do, and for the care that goes into making it.
The paper in our notebook refills comes from a mill on the west coast of Sweden that has been producing respected uncoated fine papers for over 150 years. Surrounded by protected natural landscapes, the mill has built much of its production around a close relationship with its environment, with careful water management and a growing use of its own hydropower. The paper is uncoated and unbleached, retaining its natural cream colour without chemical treatment. It feels substantial in a way that standard writing paper rarely does, and it holds the mark of a pen or pencil cleanly, without resistance.
For our planners, book refills and selected paper accessories, we use a premium uncoated design paper from a mill in Austria with a long tradition in fine paper. It is made for intensive daily use: precise, consistent, with a surface that handles both handwriting and printed detail equally well. It also meets recognised environmental standards, including FSC, Cradle to Cradle and EU Ecolabel certifications.
Our drawing books use a heavier natural paper with a soft, velvety feel and a surface that accepts pencil, ink and dry media cleanly. It is FSC certified, naturally white, and made without optical brighteners.
For our watercolour book, we chose paper from one of the oldest continuously operating paper mills in the world, in Germany, with over 440 years of production behind it. For centuries this mill has made papers for artists, using pure spring water from its own wells and returning the water to the natural cycle after use. The result is a 100% cotton cold press paper that holds water without warping, accepts multiple washes without losing its surface, and gives colour the depth and stability watercolour work needs.
made for every mark
80 g/m²
Light, flexible paper for everyday notes, lists, sketches and ideas.
100 g/m²
Smooth, reliable paper for planning, structure and daily writing.
120 g/m²
More substantial writing paper, made for a premium fountain-pen experience.
150 g/m²
Heavier creative paper for pencil, ink, dry media and markers.
300 g/m² cold press
Professional 100% cotton paper for watercolour, wet and mixed-media techniques.
responsibility in every page
The sustainability of paper begins long before it reaches the page, and continues long after it has been filled. It depends on responsibly managed forests, careful mill production, local printing, and a material cycle that considers what paper can become after use.
Every paper we use carries FSC and PEFC certification where applicable, which means the fibres come from forests where growth consistently outpaces what is felled. The Cradle to Cradle standard, held by the majority of our papers, evaluates a product not just for what it is made of, but for what it can become when its useful life ends. The goal is that materials re-enter a cycle rather than leave it as waste.
All our paper products are printed in Vienna with eco-friendly, vegetable-based inks. Keeping this step close to our workshop helps us reduce unnecessary transport, stay close to the process, and keep greater control over the final quality.
This way of thinking fits naturally with how paper republic is built. Our refillable system means that when a notebook is full or a planner year is done, only the paper changes. The leather cover continues: the same journal, carrying more of your life.
