Exploring New Possibilities in Letterpress

A small shop dedicated to paper has opened on a backstreet in Sendagaya. With its white counter and shelves, this shop is called PAPIER LABO, and it is run by three young creators who share a passion for paper. Here, old books with a distinct paper texture, original postcards exclusive to the shop, and even manuscript paper, rarely used today, are vibrantly displayed, awaiting their new owners.

Paper is a curious material. Beyond its use for writing, it can be rolled, folded, and creased. The wrinkles and marks it acquires can hold more meaning than the words written upon it.



At a recent opening party, a demonstration of printing on a small letterpress machine, acquired from a now-closed letterpress workshop in Tokyo, was held. This marks the beginning of new initiatives in printing, particularly letterpress, originating from this place and its people.

Their deep interest and almost reverent affection for these materials, coupled with their knowledge, seemed to overflow with more than enough passion to develop them further. This makes us anticipate, and even feel confident about, the new developments in the world of printing that will be built through human connections.

PAPIER LABO plans to engage in various experimental activities centered around paper. Will this lead to a new path in our relationship with paper, based on a 21st-century interpretation at the culmination of its long history?

PAPIER LABO
3-52-5-104 Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Tel. 03-5411-1696
Hours | 12:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Closed | Mondays, Tuesdays
http://www.papierlabo.com