There is something undeniably human about a handwritten note.
From a personal journal to a greeting card, handwriting conveys the pressure of the stroke, the intention, the hesitation, and the warmth of a specific moment.
A digital message will be stored in a cloud of remote servers, analyzed by platforms, and exposed to the gaze of tech giants, but a paper letter is a unique copy whose audience is limited by its author, making it almost an act of preservation today when intimacy eludes us. It is a conversation that belongs only to those who are meant to see it.
Papier Royal is a new chapter by Ramdane Touhami, the force behind the international success of the beauty house Officine Universelle Buly.
It is a love lettero the act and rituals of writing, for the secrecy this gesture confers, and to the unique pleasure of discovering a few words sent by someone who took the time to choose the paper and pick up a writing instrument to craft this irreplaceable message.
To provide you with the perfect service for this intimate moment, we have developed true expertise in paper and writing instruments, offering the widest selection ever seen in a boutique.
At the heart of this project: an exceptional printing workshop that, until now, was the best-kept secret in Parisian printing.
Indeed, we are quite simply the engravers’ engravers, as no one else in Europe practices the pendulum stamping technique— “timbrage au balancier”—a purely Parisian printing method that we practically saved from extinction a few years ago, when its last practitioner, Éric Lejeune, was about to take his well-deserved retirement.
Thankfully , when we took over his company, he trained our master printer, Benoist Dallay, who in turn trained about ten apprentices to ensure the survival of this precious and inimitable Parisian technique.
The Papier Royal printing workshop was born from the coming together under one roof of several printers and engravers:
Imprimerie Georges, founded in 1937 and printer to the Presidency of the Republic; Typographie du Coq in Puidoux, Switzerland; and finally Imprimerie Lejeusne, recognized Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant (“A Living Heritage Company”), which passed on its expertise and stamping blocks to us.
This is how we have been able to acquire valuable machinery, and build a unique collection of over 16,000 lead and wood printing blocks: letters, ornaments, and monograms, some dating back to the reign of Louis XVI.
It is this heritage and expertise that we are now making available to the public for printing business cards, letterheads, and envelopes.
We also produce, by hand, a collection of notebooks for all your writing needs: blank, lined, or specialized for a particular hobby or game..
Do you want to take notes or do technical drawing? Calligraphy or archive your film memories? A cover letter or an announcement for a special occasion? Papier Royal will find the perfect medium and tool for you.
More than 20 pencil lead hardnesses are available, as well as a veritable paper showroom, allowing you to see and touch dozens of samples before making an informed choice. On-site, a stamping workshop equipped with a genuine century-old press prints your business cards or monogrammed letterhead live so you can leave with them the same day.
Personalization is at the heart of our shop: your initials stamped in gold on the pencil of your choice. A monogram selected from our 5 stunning collections on a Carnet Royal notebook.
Need to send a note? Our calligrapher will write it by hand on our finest papers and send it in one of our original envelopes the very same day.
Finally, our à la carte colors await both seasoned artists and budding doodlers, with 120 shades of art pastels and 100 shades of colored pencils from the best European and Japanese brands.
Do you just want 5 shades of brown pencil, or maybe you need 8 of the same cobalt blue pastel?
Put together your own box of colored pencils or pastels at the store, and you’ll never have to buy bulky sets again—most of which you’d never use.
Papier Royal is a passionate, dedicated, and meticulous celebration of writing, drawing, and everything that can be put on paper.
