PrintingNews.com

Wausau Paper’s Royal brand of premium writing, text and cover papers has been redefined. Significant updates have been added to the popular line including the addition of new colors, weights and finishes, as well as a rebranding of Royal SilkPlus to environmentally-preferred Royal Resource. Through this Royal “refresh,” Wausau Paper demonstrates that high-quality, luxurious papers can be affordable.

“The redefined Royal line is a result of extensive research, testing and expansion efforts in accordance with buyer preferences. We incorporated the latest color and texture trends to provide our customers with a comprehensive offering of beautiful, versatile and affordable writing, text and cover papers,” said Jeff Fox, Director of Marketing for Wausau Paper’s Printing & Writing sector. “The changes we’ve made boost our Royal brand line on a variety of fronts and allow printers and designers the freedom to choose the high-quality paper they want, not merely the paper they can afford.”

Seven of eight paper lines within Wausau Paper’s Royal brand have been updated, including Royal Complements, Royal Cotton, Royal Fiber, Royal Laid, Royal Linen and Royal Marble. Anticipating a growing trend toward more natural looking colors and textures found in the environment, Wausau Paper updated and strengthened its color palette by adding a new range of neutrals as well as new earthy tones including Basil, Mushroom and Winter Wheat. In addition to new colors, Wausau Paper created new textures and expanded the selection of weights and finishes in the Royal line to include Canvas, Felt and Bark Finish. Improved finishes and surfaces allow printers and designers to push creative print techniques further, even on textured and metallic stocks.

“Wausau Paper wanted to refresh their premium Royal line of papers while maintaining the best-selling standards in each line. We reviewed the major color forecasts and were also influenced by great American painters, including Andrew Wyeth. We took our influence from the sophisticated neutrals and botanical tones so useful for communications,” said Paul Wharton, Vice President of Creative at Larsen Design, who worked with Wausau Paper to update its Royal line. “Additionally, texture is becoming more important to designers and we wanted to offer some interesting surface treatments that will inspire designers in their work. The beauty is that they are all so printable and useful. We were striving for affordable elegance, and I think we achieved that.”

As part of the upgrades, Wausau Paper introduces Royal Resource, formerly Royal SilkPlus. Royal Resource contains a 100 percent recycled post-consumer fiber sheet in White. The line also contains five new colors including Bamboo, Fresh Leaf, Mushroom, Weathered Oak and Fawn, as well as Brilliant White and three colors (Natural, Ivory and Gray) that were part of the previous Royal SilkPlus line. In addition to the beefed up sustainable offerings in Royal Resource, all Royal paper grades are Forest Stewardship Council Certified, demonstrating Wausau Paper’s responsible management of forest resources. Many grades are also Green Seal Certified and contain at least 30 percent recycled post-consumer fiber.