James Cropper has launched the Paper Portal, a physical paper sampling and specification experience designed to offer a single discovery point for its materials range
British master papermaker James Cropper has launched the Paper Portal, a new paper sampling and specification set designed to showcase the breadth and specialism of its paper portfolio.
Created to offer a single discovery point for its materials range, the Paper Portal allows designers, printers, and brands to explore James Cropper papers ranging from stock-supported ranges and established colours to specialist capabilities and bespoke developments.
The Paper Portal allows colours to be compared side by side, the feel of surfaces experienced, and finishes examined, aiming to create a physical starting point for specification and inspiration.
Manufactured by Showcase Creative, the outer case is available in three Vanguard colourways and features embossing and Foilco foil finishes, with its distinctive shape mirroring the outline of the James Cropper emblem.
Inside, five curated folders guide users through the company's paper offering, with its Black & White, Colours, Capabilities, and Bespoke ranges sitting alongside a dedicated Collaboration folder, featuring either James Cropper's exclusive Coloursource partnership with Winter & Company or a collection created with Foilco.
Jordan Scott, head of marketing at James Cropper, says: "For all the advances in digital design, there are some decisions that simply cannot be made on a screen. You need to hold paper, compare colours, see how a surface responds to light, and understand how it feels before you can really appreciate what it could bring to an idea.
"The Paper Portal puts those possibilities in one place. You might open it looking for a particular colour or paper and find exactly what you need, but you might equally discover a capability, finish, or collaboration that takes the original idea somewhere completely different.”
Scott highlights that the Paper Portal is designed to be “a starting point for creativity”, adding: “You can browse it, compare materials, and specify something that already exists, or use what you discover to begin a conversation with us about creating something entirely your own."
Designers, brands, and packaging professionals looking to receive The Paper Portal have been encouraged to contact the James Cropper team for further information.
James Cropper will be exhibiting at London Packaging Week next week, where they will premiere the trailer for a documentary titled ‘The Last Mill Standing’ which explores the company’s history and its status as the UK’s last remaining specialist coloured paper mill.
Offering a unique glimpse inside James Cropper, the trailer introduces a story about the generations of skill, craftsmanship, and innovation that shape the specialist materials that the master papermaker produces. The full documentary will be released later this year.
