Story

Tallinna Paber, rebrended as Labora, was established in 2011 with the aim of keeping the tradition of letterpress printing and hand papermaking alive and well in Estonia. The prints we make have a story to tell before they even reach your hands.

We start in our paper laboratory, where we mix organic materials with water and the use our small hollander to beat it into pulp. Sheet by sheet, we then form our paper of various sizes and thicknesses, and hang up to dry for several days. We there by often recycle paper through this process. We transform the most ordinary paper into a unique sheet of thick paper with a rough surface and deckle edges. We also make high quality paper for calligraphy and special projects. We use raw materials such as cotton, hemp, linen, and abaca. This paper can last for centuries.

Once our paper is dry, we print on it using one of our letterpress printing machines. We use the following machinery: Heidelberg Windmill Red Ball (1967), Korrex Nürnberg (1972), FAG, Krause Book Press, Tabletop Platen, and a historical Krause Guillotine. We combine traditional letterpress printing techniques with contemporary techniques of using photopolymer plates. This allows us to print a variety of different designs. We print our own series of postcards, greeting cards, seed paper cards, and large prints. We’ll happily print your design or help you develop one.

Letterpress printing on handmade paper has a special feeling to it, which makes it perfect for wedding invitations, business cards, books, calligraphy, and other high-end prints. Browse through our portfolio to get inspired and add your own story to our prints!