Hands tearing a thick white cotton sheet along a steel rule.

Raised hands holding two pale envelopes against a bright window.

Stack of plain notebooks on a white shelf with spines facing out.

Aya Paper

Paper for everyday desks

ABOUT

Hands laying a deckled cotton sheet on the counter in front of shallow paper drawers.

A counter for people who use paper every day. Six sheets, chosen by touch and wrapped before they leave.

The shop opened in 2011 at 17 Papierstraat in Ghent. Aya Mensah is at the counter. Through the morning, samples are cut to size. In the afternoon the notebooks are stitched, and at 16:30 the parcels go out in kraft paper tied with cotton tape. You hold a sheet to the window and decide. Cutting to size and the kraft wrap are free.

About the shop

PAPERS WE KEEP

Six papers, kept on the shelf and sold by the pack. Weights run from 45 gsm to 300 gsm. Each row lists size, use, sheet count and the price in EUR.

45gsm

Airmail Bank

A sheet for a letter going abroad.

Size

A4

Suits

Long letters abroad

Sheets

100

Price

€9

80gsm

Everyday Bond

A sheet for writing and printing at a desk.

Size

A4

Suits

Daily writing and printing

Sheets

250

Price

€12

100gsm

Laid Writing

Chain lines show when the sheet is held to the light.

Size

A4

Suits

Letters by hand

Sheets

100

Price

€14

120gsm

Soft Wove

A soft surface for a fountain pen.

Size

A4

Suits

Fountain pens

Sheets

50

Price

€13

250gsm

Grey Card

Thick square edges for a card or a mount.

Size

A5

Suits

Cards and backing

Sheets

25

Price

€11

300gsm

Cotton Rag

Deckle-edged cotton for watercolour and invitations.

Size

A3

Suits

Watercolour and invitations

Sheets

10

Price

€24

All papers

Top view of the long counter with paper sheets, rolls of tape and string on a grey mat.

The counter

A long side view of sheets, the cutting mat and rolls of cotton tape.

Who each weight suits

Weight is the figure on the pack, in grams per square metre. It does not tell you the thickness. Hold the sheet. Airmail Bank is 45 gsm and Cotton Rag is 300 gsm, and the papers between them cover letters, printing, cards and watercolour.

Letters abroad

For long letters sent abroad. Sold in a pack of A4 sheets.

45 gsm · Airmail Bank

Thesis drafts

The same A4 bond in a larger pack, for a busy office desk.

80 gsm · Everyday Bond

Household printing

The bond we run through our own printer at home.

80 gsm · Everyday Bond

Letters by hand

For letters written by hand. Hold it to the window to see the chain lines.

100 gsm · Laid Writing

Fountain pen notes

Takes a fountain pen without feathering. A short pack of A4 sheets.

120 gsm · Soft Wove

Thank-you cards

For cards. Small A5 sheets with a thick, soft edge.

250 gsm · Grey Card

Mounting and backing

The same card, kept as a backing behind a lighter sheet.

250 gsm · Grey Card

Invitations

For watercolour and invitations. A3 cotton with a deckle edge.

300 gsm · Cotton Rag

Watercolour studies

The same cotton, cut down for quick colour studies.

300 gsm · Cotton Rag

AT THE COUNTER

A hand holding a pale sheet up to a bright window to see the light through it.

Feel

Hold the sheet to the window before you decide. Airmail Bank, Everyday Bond, Laid Writing, Soft Wove, Grey Card and Cotton Rag are all on the counter. Look through the fibres, then choose by hand.

Hands drawing a craft knife along a metal rule through stacked sheets.

Cut

The sheet is cut to size on the mat, with the knife drawn along a steel rule. Bring a sample if the piece must match a folder, a frame or an envelope. Cutting at the counter is free.

Hands tying pale cotton tape around a flat parcel of kraft paper.

Wrap

The parcel is wrapped in plain kraft paper and tied with pale cotton tape. Sheets from the mat and notebooks stitched in the shop leave the same way, flat, with the tape crossed and knotted. The kraft wrap is free.

Envelopes

Plain Envelopes

Envelopes

120 gsm · C6 · pack of 25 · one A4 folded twice · €8

Notebooks

Stitched Notebook

Notebooks

100 gsm · A5 · 96 pages · everyday notes · €16 · stitched in the shop

VISIT

The door on Papierstraat opens at 10:00. Deliveries are already unpacked by then, samples are cut through the morning, and the notebooks are stitched at 14:00. Parcels leave at 16:30. Come for a pack, or bring a sample and have it cut on the mat.

17 Papierstraat, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.

Tuesday to Saturday

10:00–18:00

Thursday paper clinic

16:00–18:00