CIRCA 1450
The year is 1450. It's the beginning of the Age of Discovery.
The Earth is still flat, construction of Machu Pichu has just begun, and John Cabot (first European explorer to set foot on mainland North America) is born.
In Germany Johannes Gutenberg's miracle printing press is now eleven years old, and has sparked one of the greatest revolutions in human history.
The combination of a mechanical press, and movable type has allowed literature to be created quickly, and inexpensively. The dark ages are over.
Fast forward to 2016. Print is everywhere, and the technology of print has come a long way. Print is now accessible with the simple click of a button. Computers are phasing people out of the print trade at an alarming rate. The drive to produce print perfection has endangered the letterpress, along with the beauty, and individuality that comes with its imperfection.
There is, however, a growing movement amongst commercial printers and hobbyists to bring the old machines back to life, preserving traditional print craft.
Port Paper Co. is one of them. All of our fine paper goods are printed on 100% cotton paper using an antique manual letterpress.
Cotton paper is thicker and softer than modern wood pulp-based paper. Mixed with the relief printing process of letterpress, cotton paper creates beautiful deep impressions.
This tactile characteristic exemplifies luxury, and old world charm at its finest. The elegance and quality produced with this historical process is unmatched by modern day techniques.