The Owl’s Nest Collection: Papers & Inks

When you’re as intentional as an Owl, over time you pick your favorites.

Intentionality is our favorite word around here. For us, it represents a beautiful alignment of choices all made to bring a client’s vision to life. We weren’t always experts at the letterpress game, but over the years we’ve taken risks and experimented and have come to understand the heart and soul of our presses, the process, and the inks and papers that make this passion add up.

We’ll always be fans of trying something new, but we’re also proud to say that we’ve honed this craft in such a way that we feel great about our curated collection of favorites. The Owl’s Nest Collection represents the papers and inks that rise to the top. We’ve seen these products produce gorgeous results and we stand behind the suppliers that keep us stocked.

Inks

So many colors, so many possibilities. We mix our inks the old-fashioned way, from scratch with a palette knife and a few base colors. We use the Pantone Matching System Solid Uncoated color book as a guide, and with nearly 2,000 colors, we’ve narrowed them down to some of our favorites to get you started.

Black
Warm Gray 11
PMS 431
Cool Gray 9
Warm Gray 3
Cool Gray 1
PMS 4745
PMS 7531
PMS 436
PMS 4625
PMS 7502
PMS 7516
PMS 451
PMS 5807
PMS 363
PMS 7742
PMS 5463
PMS 7736
PMS 387
PMS 328
PMS 326
PMS 633
PMS 5523
PMS 621
PMS 5665
PMS 5645
PMS 7697
PMS 5445
PMS 7457
PMS 642
PMS 551
PMS 3025
PMS 295
PMS 2623
PMS 5135
PMS 665
PMS 5225
PMS 227
PMS 7421
PMS 7640
PMS 7523
PMS 5025
PMS 691
PMS 218
PMS 226
PMS 185
PMS 1935
PMS 7625
PMS 198
PMS 1775
PMS 7415
PMS 719
PMS 472
PMS 7592
PMS 1595
PMS 1485
PMS 605
PMS 107
PMS 7499

Custom Colors

We can mix any color specified in the Pantone Solid Uncoated color book. We mix inks by eye per Pantone formulas and match to swatches at press under 6000K LED lighting. If you aren’t sure of the exact color you need, we can help you find the right one. While we strive for perfection, we can only guarantee to be within plus or minus one color shade.

Foil Colors

Bright, shiny things. We love them, too. The metallic effect that foil offers can be an excellent enhancement to your design. Foil can elevate the elegant or slay the sensational. Give it some thought. Your design will stand out from the ordinary. Who wants to be ordinary?

Bright Silver
Matte Gold
Matte Silver
New Penny
Pale Copper
Dull Copper
copper
Bright Gold
Black
White

Paper

You’re never fully dressed without a smile, nor is your project without the right paper! It’s a big world out there, but we have narrowed down our favorite papers and want to show you why we love them and how they will help bring your project to life.

Crane's Lettra®

Tree-free is the way to be. Crane’s Lettra® is 100% cotton and is made for letterpress. It’s soft, fluffy, and thick which makes for a nice deep printing impression—the kind that screams letterpress from the top of the highest mountain. We love to use Lettra for wedding invitations, and other special event invitations because of its luxurious feel.

Fluorescent White

Pearl

Ecru

Some notes about Lettra:

It comes in three colors: Fluorescent White (or flo-white if you're in a hurry) is the brightest white of the three. Pearl White is slightly off-white and our most popular choice. Ecru is a rich cream. Lettra does not have a smooth surface, which means that totally opaque color washes are not a guarantee. Think stone wash jeans, which, in some opinions, are never out of style. Lettra comes in two weights, 110lb and 220lb. When considering a two-sided project, we recommend sticking with 220lb or considering duplexing to allow for great impression on both sides. 220lb Cotton Lettra is pictured on the left and 110lb is on the right.