Somerset paper by St. Cuthbert Mills
Written April 2020
Somerset® is a world leading traditional printmaking paper. Mould made from 100% cotton to high archival standards. It is suitable for block/relief printing, embossing, intaglio/etching, hand/stone lithography, laser printing, letterpress, silkscreen/serigraphy, pastel pencil and charcoal
Taken from the official website of St. Cuthberts Mill www.stcuthbertsmill.com
GSM: 115, 175, 250, 280, 330 & 300gsm |
ARCHIVAL: YES |
ACID FREE: YES |
LIGHTFAST: YES |
Made from 100% woodfree bleached chemical pulp St Cuthberts Mill are experts in manufacturing high quality artists papers. Their master papermakers carefully make beautiful mould made papers, using one of the few remaining cylinder mould machines left in the world. They only use pure raw ingredients to guarantee the highest grade of archival papers. Their pulps and cotton linters are specially sourced for their purity and performance.
The paper comes in 3 textures:
Satin (smooth), Velvet (Slightly textured) and Textured (heavier texture)
The paper comes in 3 textures:
Satin (smooth), Velvet (Slightly textured) and Textured (heavier texture)
ADVANTAGES
* 100% Cotton * Acid free & archival - The paper will last for hundreds of years (in good storage conditions) and won’t discolour or fall apart. * Available in 3 surfaces and 8 colour tones including bright white * Primarily a printmaking paper but also suitable for Pastels, Pencil, Charcoal, pen & Ink |
DISADVANTAGES
* Very soft paper - Hard pencils could tear the paper. The softness also limits the amount of layers you can apply. * May not be as easy to access this paper outside the UK |
Tones & Surfaces
Brightness & Lightfast details
The Somerset paper does not contain optical brightening agents (OBA's), excludes the Radiant White shade. When OBA's are added to paper, it will degrade over time, making the paper look less bright. Paper without OBA's will not fade.
The paper is highly lightfast with a minimum of 7 on Blue Wool Scale, The Radiant White shade is an exception but still exceeds 6
TAPPI was founded in 1915 as the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry. They are the leading association for worldwide pulp, paper and packaging testing methods which include paper brightness.
The higher the number on the TAPPI scale, the brighter it is. For instance, paper with a level 98 brightness is bright white, while 96 brightness is just slightly less bright. The lower the number, the duller the brightness.
White shades brightness:
Radiant White: 96% TAPPI Whiteness value
White: 88% TAPPI Whiteness value
Soft White: 75% TAPPI Whiteness value
The paper is highly lightfast with a minimum of 7 on Blue Wool Scale, The Radiant White shade is an exception but still exceeds 6
TAPPI was founded in 1915 as the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry. They are the leading association for worldwide pulp, paper and packaging testing methods which include paper brightness.
The higher the number on the TAPPI scale, the brighter it is. For instance, paper with a level 98 brightness is bright white, while 96 brightness is just slightly less bright. The lower the number, the duller the brightness.
White shades brightness:
Radiant White: 96% TAPPI Whiteness value
White: 88% TAPPI Whiteness value
Soft White: 75% TAPPI Whiteness value