Neenah Paper recently released three new swatchbooks for ESSE, OXFORD and UV/ULTRA II & CLEARFOLD Papers to continue the series of swatchbook releases that repackage, refocus and redefine Neenah’s broad offering of Neenah, Fox and Gilbert brands. The three swatchbooks were created by Design Guys of MPLS.

“We’ve spent the last year introducing new looks and tools to the marketplace,” says Tom Wright, Senior Director, Advertising and Design at Neenah Paper. “A lot of work and thought has gone into to creating these materials — and the quality of that effort will show when designers get them in their hands.”

The three lines have long been designer and printer favorites, offering wide varieties of textures and colors with Green Seal Certification and competitive pricing. Here is a summary of what designers can expect to see within the three revisions:

ESSE —“To Be” A Paper with Presence
In Latin, ESSE means “to be” — it is one of Neenah’s most designer-requested and, thus, designer-driven papers. It boasts textures and colors created by renowned Italian designer and colorist Beatrice Santiccioli.

The colors Ms. Santiccioli put together for ESSE Papers were all inspired by her experiences in her native Italy. At the foundation of the collection are four color families: black, green, brown and blue. Ranging in tonal values from dark to light; each group boasts a complement of coordinating pearlized colors. A fifth group of bold accent colors completes the offering.

“Our primary goal in designing this new swatchbook was to strike a balance between the line’s beauty and its accessibility as a paper for everyday use,” points out Steve Sikora of Design Guys.

OXFORD — Woven with Passion
For years the attraction of OXFORD’s writing, text and cover papers has made it a long popular among printers and corporate identity enthusiasts. With this new swatchbook Neenah turns the heat up in order to get younger designers to take a fresh look at a very clean paper line.

Neenah defines OXFORD’s brand personality with an exclusive finish that feels to the touch like finely woven fabric. Its four palettes were developed by renowned design curator Holly Hunt, who gained her legend with a simplified aesthetic in American interior design. OXFORD’s four palette families — Innocence, Experience, Desire and Consequence — represent the “totality of the human emotional experience, from light to dark and all that exists in between.”

“We wanted to emphasize the luxuriousness and sensuality of this line,” explains Kathy Kemps, Senior Brand Manager for Neenah Paper. “Sure, printers and corporate buyers love it for its versatility and richness — but those same qualities also give it sex appeal that designers cannot overlook.”

UV/ULTRA II & CLEARFOLD — The Clear Choice
“What makes a translucent paper superior,” says Kemps, “are three things: printability, foldability and ‘dimensional stability,’ a technical term for curl resistance vital to registration control.” This new group of translucents offers all three — and it is arguably the best in its class. The lines’ superiority is clearly demonstrated by Design Guys’ new swatchbook.

“By uniting the long-popular UV/ULTRA II line with CLEARFOLD, Neenah has now two complementary papers, both manufactured differently and now offering towering strengths in two significant areas: superior printability and superior fold-ability,” adds Wright. “For many, this is the ultimate one-two punch in translucent paper. They’re getting superior performance on press and in fulfillment and construction.”

The three-part release has received remarkable attention so far. The demand has been overwhelming, considering the short time these swatchbooks have been available. Designers who want to get their own copies should call their Neenah merchant or Neenah sales rep and ask for a sample.

To request a copy of the ESSE, OXFORD and UV/ULTRA II & CLEARFOLD Papers swatchbooks, call 1-800-994-5993 or e-mail [email protected].