Lettra Schmettra

I source mine from Keldon Paper in California. Currently you need to call them directly to place an order, but they ship same day, and their prices are great! They ship to me in Seattle and it typically only takes 3 days or so for a large order. Check them out!

I’ve never had a successful order from Crane with Lettra. they SUCK! I’ve given them plenty of opportunities as well. I now buy direct from Legion and my REP ROCKS!!!! He’s from west coast legion but often I can order under the $250 minimum without paying extra. AND he’ll let me request the parent sheets to be cut down at minimal cost. I usually order 100, 300GSM 22×30 parent sheets and have them cut down to 6×11″ which gives me roughly 1000 in the end. It’s not more than $180 including shipping via UPS ground and I have it within 2-3 days of placing my order. He’s great about samples too, I love my rep!On scoring, I like a sharp fiskars rotary scorer that you use on a 12″ trimmer, haven’t had problems with it on lettra. Grain on lettra is on the longest side of a parent sheet, however if you don’t know how it’s trimmed then that can botch you up. Also, I like to use Arturo for cards and folded notes and you can get them from legion as well in a 4Bar note that is pre-scored. Well worth it. Weight is 250GSM. Often if I need to do a folded card with a wedding suite I’ll print on Lettra pearl for invitations, and get arturo softwhite for the folded notes. my clients have never said a thing. Arturo has a slightly more textured look to the paper and deckle edges, but no complaints here.I do get a little saltiness with lettra, however not on all runs. can’t quite figure it out. sometimes I wonder if it’s more the humidity in the atmosphere vs. the actual paper since sometimes i have it and other times it’s not an issue.

i also did not like Lettra, but it is a cheaper cotton paper (if I could afford Pescia for everything I would use it only), so now that i’ve used it for a while, it has grown on me. i have tried scoring it as well, and i do believe it has a grain, so folding that way does help, but not every time……. 🙂 Legion paper is fast and you can now order online from them, though there is a minimum order. Anybody know if anybody is making a reclaimed cotton paper?

There is a reclaimed cotton stock! It’s made by Arch Paper (http://www.archpaper.net/servlet/StoreFront), and even comes in colors. Their website says:”ARCH paper is a beautiful, archival, 100% cotton text- and cover-weight paper made from recycled clothing and textiles. It has a beautiful textured finish appropriate for business cards, greeting cards, graphics, letterpress and any other applications where traditional papers are used.ARCH Paper is:* 100% post-consumer content* Tree free, dye-free, bleach-free and solvent-free* Produced without chlorine, sulfites, caustic substances or other additives* Uses less energy and less water in production than other recycled paper or traditional wood pulp paper* Made and creates jobs in the USA* The greenest paper on EarthNow you can order 50 sheets! Current prices reflect a 30% discount from retail.”I have some samples, and it really is beautiful and soft, but, until recently, they didn’t offer envelopes, and I didn’t want to have to try and find matching ones elsewhere. It’s a bit more expensive than Lettra, but I’d love to try it for a job sometime.

awesome! Thanks, I’m gonna order some samples.

Hi everyone!I had the same scoring issue on a tri-fold wedding invite I did last year on Lettra. The paper does have a grain direction, but all the research I did on Briar Press said that people have tried it in every direction and the same splitting happens regardless of how it’s scored. I called around to some others printers here in the community and found the solution…It has to be scored with a channel matrix- it’s plastic and metal/male and female parts, so the paper is molded to the crease. I believe you can get it from Fritz at NA Graphics. I didn’t have time to mess with it on this rush job, so I had Evolution Press (a large local commercial printer) handle the scoring part. Scott gave me some of the plastic channel matrix to try myself, but I haven’t messed with it yet. A year later, the scoring they did with this matrix hasn’t cracked or shown any wear, so I know it’s a good method for this paper.I’m with you on the Lettra stuff, It’s not my favorite to print with and I’m trying out some other good house papers that I want to stock. I’ll check out the Esse line. Have you guys gotten samples of Holyoke Fine Papers Cotton Rag? I’m trying it out now and I really like it so far, although I have only printed polymer with it. It feels like fabric, and the more it’s handled the better it gets. It’s $190 for 100 22×30 parent sheets, so it’s a little pricier than Lettra, but I like it alot so far.Hope that helps!Best,Becki MullinsMyrtle Alley PressSeattle WA

The Arch paper is really beautiful but is VERY soft. I don’t think it would make a great folded card.I use Lettra for some of my cards and I got fed up with dealing with the scoring. I actually buy now from Astro Converters http://www.astropaper.com/ I have them cut it down to 4Bar and A2 sizes and have them score them as well. They come in nice stacks and it is pretty affordable (like 7 & 9 cents per card). It saves me SO much time and is nice to just pull a pre-scored card off the shelf and print on it…

I love Arch paper and I don’t think it’s too soft for a folded card, it is so yummy b/c it feels like your favorite t-shirt. I’m going to order some of the Holyoke soon too, glad to hear folks like it.Lettra can’t be beat on price for a nice cotton sheet, but it’s certainly not perfect. My secret for scoring, may not be a good practice, but it works for me. I get different point size lines in photopolymer and put them on my boxcar base with no ink. Again, not perfect, but scores nice & heavy with minimal cracking.I also just ordered some of the new Bamboo paper from Legion and will let you know how that works out. It’s only 265gsm as opposed to the 300 of Lettra, but I hope to use it for folded cards so I’m keeping my fingers crossed.I also like Copperplate from Atlantic Papers and let’s see … can I think of anything else?Oh! who has tried the Strathmore/Mohawk? What do you think about that??ps. i’ve always coveted that Pescia too, Kathryn, but have never laid down the cash for it

I’ve just printed a new set of stationary on Neenah’s Classic Laid, and I’m in love! (good thing, because I have a ton of this paper now). I used Recycled Natural White 80C, 216 gsm, which is 100% post-consumer content and processed without chlorine. It prints and folds beautifully, and feels so nice in my hands. The Classic Laid does have a strong texture of laid lines though, so it might not be the perfect paper for every project. Neenah was easy to work with, fast shipping, and they have a huge selection – took me forever to decide on what to get (sometimes I just like to look at sample books). They’ll also send sample packs of paper – I think it was 15 sheets of 11×17, so you can try it out before you make the purchase.I’ll post photos of the cards so you all can take a look.

well – probably to late to help – but Keldon (in L.A. – 323-584-7777) is great! very fast, always accurate.

I recommend Legion paper. You can order in quantities as few as 25 sheets (parent sheets), they pack the paper really well (between two rigid sheets of cardboard and corner protectors), and I got confirmation emails for order placement and shipping. And I think the pricing is a bit better per sheet than Keldon.I will never order direct from Crane again; the paper was packed poorly, the box arrived with one corner dented, so my entire order of 100 sheets was dented significantly. Plus the fact you can only order parent sheets in quantities of 100.

[Author]

Posts