Vancouver’s Finest Paper and Stationery

Make your mark with fine paperie and cards from these local printers and paper-makers

Say it with style

There are certain occasions where kitschy commercial cards and plain paper stock just won’t do. Notes from the heart or formal correspondence simply don’t strike home from pages of spiritless foolscap. When printed on handmade, personalized stationery, however, the meaning is clear and unforgettable.

Papermakers and artisanal printers across the city understand this effect well, and they’ve crafted reams of fine stationery from which your message may leap. From sharp-looking letterheads to playful invites, they’ve got a wide variety of designs to suit your inscription. Many shops will even customize stationery just for you – right down to the font type, size and colour. Never again need your words be lost in the blank desert of plain printer paper.

Click through for Vancouver’s best paperies and printers

The Beautiful Project

Graphic artist, illustrator and web designer Jeannette Ordas established The Beautiful Project in 2006, four years after CBC 3 ranked her among their Top 25 Young Creatives in Canada. Her sweet and sassy cards and paperie feature brightly-coloured illustrations, mostly of animals and quirky characters, and exciting fonts. Through these designs shines a sense of humour far more compelling than anything from Hallmark. All of her work is printed on FSC-certified recycled card stock, so any message you send using The Beautiful Project stationery will also be an earth-friendly one. Find Ordas and The Beautiful Project at retailers around Vancouver (check her website for a full list) or on Etsy.

Paper-Ya

Nestled inside the NetLoft building on Granville Island, Paper-Ya promises wares that are “always fresh, always fun, always new” in the world of paper. The shop is a positive celebration of paper in its many forms, born from the interest in papermaking shared by Denise Carson Wilde and Sharyn Yuen. Visitors from all over the world come to admire and purchase from their diverse collection of handmade paper, relishing the weight and texture of sheets made from kozo, unryu, vellum and other fine fibers. When you send a card from Paper-Ya, you know the sentiment has been pressed right into the paper. 

#9 – 1666 Johnston Street 
Vancouver, BC

The Regional Assembly of Text

The culmination of two art students’ yen for handicrafts, The Regional Assembly of Text opened in August 2005 and has provided a creative outlet for lovers of print ever since. Owners Rebecca Dolen and Brandy Fedoruk, who had collaborated on projects during their studies at the Emily Carr University of Art and Design, discovered upon graduating a mutual desire to keep the partnership alive – and thus the Regional Assembly of Text was born. Step inside their shop on Main and you’ll be greeted by grinning vintage typewriters, talkative T-shirts, graphic buttons, and an array of stately stationery. You may soon decide that if they haven’t got a unique medium for your message, it just isn’t worth sending. If you’re really serious about putting pen to paper, join their monthly letter writing club – a congregation of romantics who have been sending letters to loved ones since September 2005.

3934 Main Street

Zing Paperie and Design

One look at the crisp, vibrant stationery on display at Zing Paperie and Design is enough to eradicate any association between recycled paper and rough, discoloured newsprint. Lustrous metallics, vivid hues and irresistible textures call from the shelves, with bright greetings and patterns penned so delicately in earth-friendly inks. Notepads and journals beckon playfully, begging to be opened. There’s even a line of charming bookmarks destined to brighten any tome. As if these treasures weren’t enough, Zing even offers custom design services so you can design your own personalized paper couture. Here, you’re more likely to run out of things to say before you run out of one-of-a-kind stationery.

H1 – 925 Main Street, West Vancouver

PaperQueen Fine Stationery

If the message you’re sending is bold and sassy, you’ll definitely get the point across with stationery from PaperQueen. Owner and designer Annabel Clarke Mackay isn’t afraid to mix fonts or splash multiple colours across a page – and she does so, to great effect. Printed alongside colourful illustrations, the text on every card unashamedly mirrors your thoughts and gets the point across with a balance of charm and cheek. Mackay’s boldness has even caught the attention of prominent media publications, including People magazine, InStyle, Vitamin V, Elle, Flare, The Vicki Gabareau Show, Neiman Marcus and many more. Place your order for ready-made or customized stationery on the PaperQueen website, or make an appointment to drop by the studio.

3688 W 35th Avenue

Credit: Bliss Paper

Bliss Paper

Getting married sometime soon? It’s never too early to design your very own, one-of-a-kind wedding invitations and stationery – especially if you love the prospect of playing with coloured papers, decals and type with avid graphic design experts. The event planning part might be overwhelming and chaotic, but the paper part is purely pleasure at Bliss Paper. These enthusiasts of all things pretty will help you design save-the-dates, invitations, menus, place cards, thank-you notes, programs and more, with a flare that’s sure to make a statement. Even if a wedding isn’t on the agenda, Bliss Paper can tailor any of their stationery to suit your event. Set up an appointment with the team by e-mail or phone, and prepare to play!

Love by Phoebe

Winner of the Canadian Wedding Industry Award and two-time BC Wedding Award-winner Phoebe Tsui has been designing custom stationery since she was 16 years old. Love by Phoebe is her passion incarnate. Her love of painting, drawing, and fine art shines through the hand-drawn illustrations that gild her many customizable wedding invitations and day-of stationery. These notes and cards are far beyond your everyday paper – they are miniature masterpieces that you and your guests will cherish. Think gentle lace-trimmed with delicate gems, ribbons and satin roses, golden typography and wax-sealed envelopes. It’s no wonder Love by Phoebe serves clients worldwide. To see her turn your message into stunning works of art, make an appointment to visit her studio or send your inquiry by e-mail.

308-525 Seymour Street