Mary's first thought was, understandably, that Noelle was just showing off her latest language immersion skills. Mary considered her daughter gifted, but it was certainly not the time for any idle, let alone oriental, chitchat. Fortunately, Noelle's brilliant suggestion to use the new Echizen Gisenshi paper was sure to make her mother Mary proud and the Christmas invites a success!

It may sound silly, but it's true: Echizen Gisenshi is glittery, printable, and oh so stylishly festive, too!

Like Mary, you just never know when you'll hear about a cool new paper like Echizen Gisenshi. Unlike Mary, you don't necessarily have to have a smart daughter like Noelle to find out about such a unique paper. Just be sure to read the rest of PaperView for a more perceptive preview of Echizen Gisenshi. Happy Holidays!

Have you ever liked hearing one of those alluring French phrases just because of the way it sounded? You may have had no clue whatsoever as to what the words meant but it just sounded so good, you liked it. "Savoir faire" is one of those appealing phrases. And Victoria Papers at Savoir-Faire is definitely a place you'll like for its beautiful, one-of-a-kind papers.

Certainly the most unique sounding paper distributor around, Victoria Papers at Savoir-Faire is actually a fairly recent collaboration between two separate companies that joined forces earlier this year. Long known for its fabulous collection of decorative papers like Echizen Gisenshi, Victoria Paper Company was founded in New York state in 1991. Victoria's Aimée Kligman, a 22-year veteran of the art paper industry, came along to Savoir-Fare as the firms merged.

Located about 20 miles north of San Francisco in Marin County, Savoir-Faire was begun by the husband and wife team of Pierre Guidetti and Maureen Labro in 1982. Along with a dynamic group of customer service-oriented employees, Pierre and Maureen developed the company into one of the nation's premier suppliers of high quality art materials. Almost anyone who has dabbled in painting to any great degree would undoubtedly be familiar with many of Savoir-Faire's fine products such as Sennelier oil paints and Isabey brushes.

Paper has also played a prominent part in Savoir-Faire's product line. From Fabriano, Europe's oldest paper mill, to Lami Li handmade paper from Nepal, Savoir-Faire has always offered an eclectic range of art and stationery papers. With the addition of Victoria Papers, Savoir-Faire has expanded its paper selection even more, offering a broad range of both handmade and machine-made papers suitable for any number of graphic arts projects you'll be working on in the new year.

This month's edition of PaperView is printed on Victoria Papers at Savoir-Faire's 54 lb. Echizen Gisenshi. The paper was produced in the Fukui prefecture of southern Japan, a region where papermaking has, amazingly, been flourishing for over 1,500 years. Despite its appearance, the paper is machine-made. Echizen refers to where the paper is made and Gisenshi means silver paper. If you're interested in using more meaningful papers, no matter what the season, you'll find plenty of reasons to choose Echizen Gisenshi!

Looking for paper in all the right places: Aimée Kligman of Victoria Papers at Savoir-Faire.

Echizen Gisenshi

Weight 54 lb. Text

Sheet Size 21-1/2 x 31

Sheets/Carton Variable

Color Silver

Other Acid-Free, Custom Colors

Shown on 54 lb. Silver Echizen Gisenshi Text.

Bill Frillmann

If the latest specialty papers are as exciting to graphic designers as the newest toys are to kids this Christmas season, then Bill Frillmann must be the Santa Claus of the decorative paper world. A Melrose Park, Illinois native, Bill brings a savvy sense of style to his role as national sales manager of Wyndstone, a company he literally built from scratch starting in June of 1988. In an interview with PaperView from his office in suburban Chicago, Bill shared some of his insights into the specialty paper world.

A special(ty) kind of a guy: Bill Frillmann of Wyndstone Papers.

PV: When it comes to selecting new papers for the Wyndstone line, do you have a formal selection process?

BF: We have a selection group of five people, including myself, that sits down and takes a good, long look at new paper stocks. In 2003, we'll be adding 40 new papers.

PV: Even people outside of the graphic arts industry seem fascinated by specialty papers. Why do you think this is so?

BF: I had a graphic designer tell me that the risk of generic design is greater today than it was 25 years ago because of the computer. It's all about using unique papers to help separate you from the crowd.

PV: Your "no minimum order quantity" purchasing policy seems ingenious. How did you develop such a designer-friendly plan?

BF: If designers can't get their hands on one sheet of paper, the big production orders never happen.

PV: Although you stock extensive quantities of all your papers, many are imported from overseas. Have recently implemented security procedures regarding shipping inspections and customs clearance had any noticeable impact on your importing?

BF: We have a three month supply of most of our papers based on sales records over the last five years, so we generally are in good shape. Security hasn't been an issue, but the recent longshoremen's strike on the West Coast has delayed Asian shipments by about two weeks.

PV: If you weren't promoting decorative papers, what other line of work could you imagine yourself doing?

BF: I would be an art store rep. My first love was to be an artist. Unfortunately, I could copy anything, but not create!

A look at the historical development of paper...
"Would You Like Me To Put It In A Box For You?"

Brunswick, Maine, 1844: Up until Colonel Andrew Dennison's innovation of the paper box, early American shoppers were somewhat limited as to how much merchandise they could carry home from the store. Handmade paper bags would not even be commercially available until 1850 and machine-made paper bags were not introduced until well after the Civil War. Colonel Dennison's paper boxes were all the rage and became quite popular with shoppers and gift givers.

Assorted paper trivia...

Eat It: According to the book Diet for a New America, it is estimated that an acre of trees is saved every year by each person who changes to a vegetarian diet.

Paper Yule: 35 million Christmas trees are produced annually.

Christmas in Connecticut: Over 2.6 billion Christmas cards are mailed in the U.S. every holiday season.

Test your paper terminology. The correct answers are secretly hidden somewhere in this newsletter. No peeking!

A. Doctor Dust

B. Shavings

C. Trim

1. Strips of paper which are cut from the sheet or roll in a cutter, rewinder or trimmer are known as _____.

2. _____ usually consists of fuzz from paper that accumulates on the doctor blade, a device that keeps the surface of paper rolls clean by a scraping action.

3. The maximum width of finished paper which can be made on a paper machine is referred to as _____.