As a paper product retailer, I have a vast array of quality papers to choose from in my designs. There are imported papers, home-grown papers, recycled, organic.... this paper world is honestly more interesting than people would think and the list of choices goes on and on. With so many different paper and card stock choices, there are a number of wholesalers that I have attempted to work with as well.
When I first started, I found what I thought to be a fantastic pairing for my company - Clampitt Paper Company. They had a HUGE variety to choose from, seemed like they worked really well with their clients, and even offered to give me two massive boxes of paper samples to show my future customers. I met with one of their representatives and he was wonderful. Very knowledgeable, friendly, and open to helping me as much as he could. So, it was looking positive. However, when I priced out materials for one of my big orders at the time, the competitive pricing he told me about was less than that. I found that I could order online for significantly less money than if I ordered with them, even though we were supposed to be partners. So, I kept them in mind but eventually found that the company that beat their prices and shipping costs that one time, kept the trend going. That company is Paper and More and honestly, I have not been able to beat their prices anywhere I've looked.
Quality. That's something every bride looks for in her invitation design. The creativity of the design does absolutely nothing for you when you have poorly made paper. So, quality is my very first criterion on which to judge a paper supplier. Paper and More does an impressive job of offering papers that very closely match the quality of some of the brand name papers such as Cordenons, Curious, Gmund (a few of my favorites by the way). They offer several different weights, textures, and I have never had a problem running through my top-feed printer.
Product Offering. Paper and More is continuously improving their product offering, bringing several new colors, textures, and paper types to their market. Most of the time, if I need a color matched, I have no problem finding it on Paperandmore.com. I'm fairly certain that if I can't find it and let them know, they will work on bringing it to the table in the future. Flat, metallic, wood-grain embossed, metallic embossed, velvety smooth.... seriously, these guys offer a huge variety! I have run into a color matching problem one time, though, with a color of pocket folder called "Botanic" by Curious that Cardsandpockets.com offered. While I was able to match the color, the difference in cost was monumental.
Pricing. Never have I matched their competitive pricing... I have searched all over the web, delved into local paper suppliers, and seriously have not been able to find better pricing. Here is a quick breakdown for a few of the other main paper suppliers I've seen pop up in my searches.
For this example, we will compare the pricing of a plain, ivory pocket fold invitation shell, as shown here:
Paper and More has this listed at about $0.81 per shell (after shipping)
LCI Papers: $1.03 per shell (after shipping)
Cards and Pockets: $1.24 per shell (after shipping)
Any other paper supplier that I've come across just doesn't offer the pre-made pocket fold. I have found this to be a huge time saver and much more professional looking than anything I could have made myself. Paper and More has been the true champion in the price arena.
Customer Service. If you are a repeat customer, they'll upgrade your shipping for free no occasion, out of the blue. If you need something cut, they'll cut it for you. If you need samples, they have them. Their paper comes in a timely fashion, orders are processed the same day of ordering, and everything is packaged superbly to ward off rain and dysfunctional postal men who might throw your box around and bend the paper you've tried so hard to keep perfect.
Bottom line, when your customers demand perfection, Paper and More can offer you a perfect raw material for a hard to beat price. I would recommend them to ANYONE who needs paper for any kind of occasion. Of course I look forward to the day when a bride demands Curious Skin envelopes at $84.99 per 50, but until then, I'll stick to the $13.99/50 quality envelopes this company offers.
