A modern day twist… applying a special coating to handmade, or machine made, Japanese papers, makes it possible to print on these beautiful papers.

I only have one supplier for this unique paper, in Japan. It has presented many challenges, where shipping costs are more than the paper itself. The paper is in limited supply, I do not know how long we’ll be able to get this paper. It is a costly paper, but the end result speaks for itself.

In light of the above challenges and costs, I’ve had to look into other options. These options involve vellum and similar papers, made from 100% cotton and are acid free. This ensures the papers will not yellow or fade unnaturally, according to my suppliers.

The downside in using these cotton papers is often they cannot deal with heavy ink loads, even a single colour, such as black, has its challenges. Add colour in any amount results are unacceptable.

I will have a Blog post demonstrating the results and difference at some stage and why, even at the high cost, the coated Japanese papers are the best choice both for colour or B+W.

Simple…. when you want artwork on your lantern or lamp, this is the only paper to use.

You get to enjoy the beautiful texture and diffusion when choosing the Japanese papers, or something more neutral when using the vellum/cotton papers. Either way, the end result is still beautiful.

I currently offer 3 options for the Japanese papers and one option for the cotton/vellum.

Read more below in the “Cost per sheet” section about usage limitations.

CAD$4-$15 + shipping for custom papers.

These papers only come in Ledger or A3+ sizes, so final costs really depend largely on the lantern or lamp collection.

For a large single face, as a ball park, expect a total cost of $4 for cotton/vellums, $15 for Japanese paper option.

When there are multiple faces, it’s only possible to use the Japanese papers. A ball park, the total cost for 5 sides would be $15-$20, depending on the physical size of the lantern or lamp.