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Coloured & White Paper
How is your coloured paper made?
Our coloured paper is made using the same process as white. 100% post consumer recycled white office shreadding is pulped in an industrial blender for around 6 minutes. After fully mushed, we add in a handfull of colour shreding specific to the shade we are trying to create. This is re-blended before adding to the tub for paper pulling.
Our white recycled paper is sourced from a local doctors surgery. These offices immediately cross cut shread all documentation and go through a high number of documents a day. We pick up recycled paper on a weekly basis using garbage bags that we provide and continuously use. Our coloured shredding comes from friends and family members. This includes; manila folders, art books, magazines etc. I hand sort these donations based on what colour prevails and shread & store them all seperately until I make that particular colour.
Can I donate paper to you?
Absolutely! the more scrap paper we can get our hands on, the better! Our workshop is located in the small town of Kalangadoo SA 5278. I only accept donations that are reasonably close to this area so that we don't incur more carbon then we save. You can contact me using the form and we can oraganise a mutually benificial pick-up/drop-off
When Zwartko first started I tried many methods of creating coloured paper. The first was using natural dyes & mixing them in the water with the white paper pulp. The second, was boiling fruits and vegetables to create natural pigments (like cloths dying) that I would then paint onto a white pre- made handmade sheet. The colour range that I have created pays homage to this method. While it was effective it does not compare to the current method of mixing coloured scraps in with white and the colour leaching out, creating a tone that is completely free of additives and double the recycling power!
Can I get a custom colour?
Yes! There is over 13 colours that I offer as a standard and this provides us with the perfect basis to create a custom tone for you. If you have a colour to work too, I will do my very best to get it as close as possible, keeping in mind that this is still a handmade process so there is no such thing as exacts.
Yes! We have 7 seed "blends" that are standard & plenty of single seeds for you to customise. Contact me before hand if you would like to know if something is possible, but all seeds can be added to coloured pulp for a two-in-one beauty.
Yes! We have 7 seed "blends" that are standard: Herb: Oregano, Parsley, Thyme Salad 1: Rocket, Lettuce, Basil Salad 2: Mesclun Salad Greens Spring & Autumn: Roman Lawn Chamomile, Alyssum, Canturbury Bells, Nemesia Autumn & Winter: Livingston Daisy Mix, Shirley Poppy Double Mix, Tansy Spring & Summer: Snapdragon, Ageratum, Brachyscome Spring: Chrysanthemum, Iceland Poppy, Bergamot
You can have any pre-made seed blend from the list above or create your own single or mix from the seeds listed above. If you have a particular seed in mind, contact me and I can let you know if it's something we can use/source. *Seeds must be very small as to not discrupt the finely tuned printer struts.
Yes, we keep a whole batch of stock including the most popular seed blends in white. If your order is large, custom seeded or colour seeded, this will be made to order. With so many variations on seed and colour it doesn't make sense to make every combination as that would be way too many to store!
All seed paper is priced the same no matter what blend, single or combo you desire. (slightly higher than colour or white to cover the cost of seeds)
The viable life of the seeds depends on the type of seed. Herbs, veggies & flowers have the most successful germination for a year from the time of sale; however many will remain viable a lot longer than this. There will be a gradual tailing off, the longer the paper is kept, the fewer seeds will remain viable. Much the same as buying a packet of seeds in the shop, they have a ‘sow by’ date. To ensure that you and your customers get as much "seed success" as possible, we only purchase enough of each seed to last 2-3 paper batches before we order more. This limited production rate keep things fresh and we are contiuously ordering and making paper up to date.
Coloured paper is made in standard stark white. Seeds can be added to any colour paper in our range upon request.
Absolutely! Just as we can add seeds to all our paper colours; we sell all those colours without seed! It's a difficult choice, whether to choose seeded or un-seeded. Carefully think about your customers, product and logo's, make sure you utalise those seeds and let you customers know how to plant and care for them on your packaging.
Planting instructions will vary wildly. We advise our customers on the planting instrustions written by our seed provider. 1. Sew seeds into soil at the depth indicated on the variety information above. 2. Keep soil moist but never wet or dry. 3. Be patient. Some seeds will take longer to germinate than others. Germination should take 1-4 weeks depending on variety and weather. 4. Protect seeds and young seedlings from pests, pets & weather. In warm weather or when sewing small seeds it can sometimes be difficult to keep the soil moist. A good trick is to cover the soil with plastic or paper until germination occurs;this keeps the moisture from evaporating. As soon as seeds germinate, remove cover. *Where possible, store your seed paper stationery in a cool dark location.
Many customers choose to add an abriviated version of these instructions to there cards. Another common way to do this is with a little plant icon on your cards that yuor customers can recognise and reference to your social media or website information on planting etc.
Handmade Paper is pulled from a large tub filled with blended recycled paper pulp. The A1 Mold & Deckle is dipped and swished into the pulp to the desired thickness. This paper drys on it's frame until majority of the water has absorbed from the pulp. The screen is then transferred face down onto a towel to be couched. Couching is the compression of the paper fibres and this is done on the back of the mesh with a silk screen roller & sponge.
Frames are sun dried before & after couching. (If it's raining we leave them in a tin shed to dry slowly.)
After the paper is dry, we scrape it off the mesh and take it to our hand operated guillotine. The paper is cut from A1 into 2 A2's with clean edges. This paper is pressed with a weight overnight to ensure it is as flat as possible. Once the paper is flat, it is fed into a high quailty ink jet printer and aligned to the guides by eye. Once loaded we will input your particular pattern and print single or double sided.
Due to the way we make paper & print, the products that we create have straight cut edges. Say for example deckle edge business cards; We would have to make 40 individual 85mm x 55mm cards to feed through the printer one at a time rather than one A2 size piece of paper that accomodates 40 business cards. The increase in labour is exponential. I have been working on a way around this particular conundrum, contact me via the form if you would like to chat about the possibilities.
All squares and rectangles are cut with the hand operated guilotine after printing. The printing template that we create for you includes our cut lines (that you won't see) and we follow those in cutting. The products that are irregular, say for example the circles, are printed without a cutting line but with a corresponding laser cutting file that I align to the printed design. The laser cutter is pre-programmed with speed & power to cut out the shape with a slight browning to the edge. Stickers are all cut by hand to avoid burning the edge of the adhesive backing.
Artwork can be sent to me before or after you place an order. Some customers prefer to work out the details before ordering by contacting me via the form; some are happy to order and go through the same process then. 1. You send me your artwork via email attachment to zwartkopapercraft@outlook.com 2. The best quality image is key as the bumps & lumps of the handmade paper surface need a clear design. *The format for this design is PNG or JPG. I also receive PDF; this is fine but not first choice. 3. Any & all information in this email regarding placement of logo's, size etc is warmly welcomed. 4. I will respond via return email with a mock-up of your item (back & front) with logo's on your particular chosen paper (digitally). We will go back and forth with changes until you are happy with the result.(Please don't be shy about making changes with me until you are perfectly happy as it is so much easier to make digital changes before templates are made and printed etc. 5. You confirm that you don't wish to make any more changes and I make the digital templates or your items. These templates are everything, this determines where the designs are placed, cut and ultimately if things align correctly. 6. I will print an entire test sheet of your design's (to make sure the quality is good but also the templates correct) the items cut and a photo sent to your email of the finished product. The finished items beauty can never be fully appreciated via photo but if you are stoked with the result, in person you will be thrilled! 7. You confirm your happiness/un-happiness and we either go back to the template stage for changes or I will complete the order.
Yes! Zwartko is very excited to be working on the launch of our very own graphic design service that can work in conjuction with our handmade paper products or independently for web, social or conventional printing. We are not quite there yet but are happy to assist with your design needs via contact until the website addition is completed.
Ordering is done through our shopping tabs: Business Stationery - Products Paper - Journals - Card Sets All the information that you need about the product will be included in the description as well as handmade paper colour choice, amount & price. Simply click on the product you would like, make your choices and click add to cart.
Custom orders all depend on your needs. Please contact me before purchasing to discuss and quote your project. I will either create a custom listing for you or send a direct invoice. No charge is added for creating different sizes, shapes etc. Pricing is all based upon how many of the item I can fit on an A2 piece of handmade paper. Every item is sized differently and will fit a certain amount. $30 for the first A2 sheet & $10 added for every sheet after that. eg. 1 A2 sheet of 40 Business cards = $30 2 A2 sheets of 80 Business cards = $40
All credit, debit & mastercards are available as well as paypal. Some customers choose to contact me directly via the form or instagram chat, and recieve a 30 days payable invoice on completion. This will be emailed after shipping and tracking numbers provided.
At the moment, production times are set at 3-5 business days for all products. This is a general amount of time but production really depends on the size of your order. If you need custom paper or your order requires a lot of sheets, this can add time onto production. Other orders also need to be taken into account, high production times (such as Christmas) can set things back. To get an accurate timeframe for your order, dont't hesitate to ask, and I will similarly keep you updated of the production progress. I am happy to accomodate a tight time schedule but please allow as much time as possible in the schedule.
All orders are shipped with Aus Post & included tracking. During check out you have the option of Regular or express post. These timeframes are generally: Regular Post - 3-6 Business Days Express Post - 1-4 Business Days Again, we do not gaurentee postage times and will not be responsible if a package does not arrive on time. Please accomodate for postage delays and order early then you require.
Yes, depending on the seed paper that you choose. There is only one seed in our collection that has a quarantine restriction and that is Mesclun Salad Mix. Mesclun Salad Mix can not be imported to WA or TAS either by me, or you, to your customers. Take this into consideration when ordering and I will alert you to this information as well.
No, we do not offer seed paper to our overseas customers. All seed blends are local to Australia and to avoid any bio-security issues we can't participate in it's overseas distribution. Our un-seeded papers are still avalible to you, but consider a local seed paper maker in your area.
Where do you source your white & coloured recycled paper?
Why do you call your paper colours after fruit & vegetables?
Can I add seeds to coloured paper?
Seeded Paper
Do you have standard seeds?
Do you keep seed paper in stock
Does seed choice make a difference to cost?
What colour is seeded paper?
What are the planting instructions?
How can I add this info to my stationery?
How do you pull the paper?
How do you dry the paper?
How do you print?
Can you make my products with a natural deckle edge?
How do you cut the products?
How do we send you our artwork for printing?
Ordering
Can you create artwork for me?
How do I order?
What payment methods do you offer?
How long will my order take to ship?
Quarantine
Can I send seed paper anywhere in Australia?
Do you make paper without seeds?
How long do the seeds in my paper last?
What seeds can I have? Can I order something you don't stock?
Production
Can I send seed paper anywhere overseas?
How long will my order take to make?
How much for a custom order?
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