FAQ

The following growing instructions appear on the back of all of our Grow-a-Note® greeting cards:

This recycled paper is embedded with a colorful variety of non-invasive wildflower seeds that will grow just about anywhere. For best results, plant this card in an area that receives partial to full sunlight. Thoroughly moisten and plant in fine soil 1/4 inch deep. Generously water daily, tend to them with love and watch them grow! The paper will recycle naturally into the soil as the seedlings grow.

You should always consider your climate and the conditions as you would any other planted seed.

We have selected the highest quality mixture of non-invasive wildflower seeds for our paper. The seeds are tested for purity and meet the highest standards of the United States Department of Agriculture.

Our proprietary wildflower seed mixture contains:

Catchfly, Bird's Eyes, Alyssum, Baby Blue Eyes and Pinks Maiden.

We also stock lavender (lavender color), catnip (green color) and miniature sunflower (yellow color) seed paper stock and certain vegetable and herb seed paper.

Additional seeds available for custom include herb, vegetable and additional flower seeds including Forget-Me-Nots and other small seeds.

Yes. We produce private label eco-friendly paper products under clients’ private labels. We can provide fulfillment services for the entire order including creating custom packaging. We continue to produce boxed seed cards and custom journals using our clients’ artwork and branding.

A deckled edge is the irregular hand-torn appearance on the edge of handmade paper. It is a by-product created during the papermaking process and can help determine a truly handmade sheet from a machine-made sheet. The deckles can be cut off or utilized as a decorative accent as it is in several of our Grow-a-Note® greeting cards.

Yes. Please see our Artwork Guidelines for more information.

Yes. Email sales@greenfieldpaper.com or call (888)433-6133 and request the sample swatch or printed sample you are interested in receiving. Please provide your name, address and phone number. Or go the contact us page on this site.

We purchase fresh seeds constantly from a very reputable seed company founded in 1965. Their Registered Seed Technologist supervises all aspects of quality control including germination and purity testing. This ensures that the seeds will be of the highest quality standards and exceed the minimum germination rates required by law. Their specifications state that the seeds have a 3-year shelf life. All of our paper is dated once it produced and stock is rotated monthly in order to provide the freshest product.

We consider the final approved PDF of the design to be a digital proof. We can supply you with an inkjet version if necessary. However, this may not represent a true replica of the final product since it is not possible to accurately duplicate Pantone spot colors on an inkjet. We will work diligently with you and your artwork in order to ensure that you receive the best quality printing obtainable on all of our papers.

If you require a proof from the press, there will be a charge.

Email us at sales@greenfieldpaper.com or call (888)433-6133 and we will provide you with the necessary information required to obtain a custom quote.

The information we will need to get going is the number of pieces, size of the piece, number of ink colors, printed one side or two and any particulars about the artwork.

If you require a proof from the press, there will be a charge.

No. Our seeds are contained inside our paper and neither the press rollers nor the soy inks that we use hinder the germination process. There are other seed papers that are imported that tend to disintegrate if printed offset. The other seed paper say that the seeds are crushed offset, yet they letterpress which would be more damaging to the seed. We frequently perform germination tests on our printed materials to ensure they sprout after printing.

The minimum quantity required to create a custom handmade paper is 250 sheets of 13″ x 19″. We can produce smaller quantities if necessary but there would be an up-charge depending on the number produced.

There is no minimum quantity limit on custom printing however the price for offset printing is more cost-effective when producing larger quantities. Our recommended minimum is 50 pieces but pricing is more advantageous starting at 100 pieces. The per-piece price goes down as quantity increases.

Many gravity fed ink jet printers are capable of printing on our handmade seed paper. The straight cut sheets need to be hand fed one sheet at a time. The setting on the printer should be set to the thickest card stock setting available. Many clients have and continue to utilize this printing method. However, we cannot guarantee the compatibility of your inkjet printer. The key to inkjet printing is to confirm that your printer is capable of accepting a thick card stock/board and that there is a straight paper path. Also, most printers will not accept smaller than an 8.5″ x 11″ sheet so please confirm that your printer is able to accept A2, A6, or A7 sizes if you are purchasing panel or folded cards. Laser printers are not compatible with our seeded paper because of the heat that may create burn marks on images (hitting a seed) when printing is attempted. The heat from the laser will most likely render the seed not viable.

Our Hemp Heritage® hemp paper is a machine made paper and can be printed on as any standard non-coated paper using laser, digital, ink jet or offset.

Please e-mail sales@greenfieldpaper.com or call (888)433-6133 for custom printing pricing and details.

Yes. For the handmade paper, we specialize in printing on a two-color offset press which provides high-quality printing that is also cost-effective. We also utilize specialty inkjet printers as well as outsourcing full-color offset printing.

We sell all of our handmade paper including our seed paper to Printer’s internationally and they have had great success printing on it. The hemp paper is machine-made and is easy to run on both offset and digital presses.

We can also provide support and insight to Printers’ detailing the nuances associated with offset printing our paper and how to obtain the best results. Please feel free to call or email for further instructions.

We have been doing this since 1992. We believe we were the first commercial seed paper Company. We have been making eco-friendly paper since before it became vogue. Someone once said, back then you were vague and now you are vogue.

We are located in beautiful San Diego, CA. Our address is 7196 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., San Diego, CA 92111. We have a retail area where our products can be viewed and purchased. We manufacture all of our handmade paper on-site. Our hemp paper is manufactured for us in the USA.

Handmade Paper: Our standard handmade paper is comparable to a 110lb cover stock weight and the micrometer measures it at approximately 22 point. Given that it is handmade, there may be a slight variance from sheet to sheet. All of the paper is inspected after production to ensure that any non-conforming sheets are removed. The thickness of our stock is optimal for packaging, business cards, hang tags, greeting cards and numerous promotional items.

We can produce a thinner handmade paper as a custom order. Please contact us for details.

Hemp Paper: We offer five weights of hemp paper: 24 lb bond, 60lb text, 80 lb text, 70 lb cover and 110 lb cover

Handmade Paper: Our standard stock size is 13″ x 19″ with a natural deckle on all four sides, and measures 12″ x 18″ when trimmed. We can produce an 18″ x 24″ handmade sheet as a custom order.

We can produce a thinner handmade paper as a custom order. Please contact us for details.

Hemp Paper: Our hemp paper comes in 23″ x 35″ parent sheets and can be cut to any size. Additionally, the 110lb is stocked in 26″ x 40″ sheets.

Yes. We have a volume pricing matrix for all of our handmade papers with price breaks at various quantity increments. Our hemp paper is available by the carton and discounts are available when purchasing 10 or more cartons. Contact us at sales@greenfieldpaper.com or call (888)433-6133 to receive this bulk pricing.

Each sheet of handmade paper is inspected and then packaged in bundles of 200 sheets. Any sheets that are discolored, have torn deckles or are too thick or thin are removed and placed in our “seconds” area where they are sold at a discount. The bundles are weighed in order to confirm conformity and then dated. Random samples are pulled weekly and tested for germination viability.

The hemp paper is inspected at the mill and lot numbers assigned for traceability. The paper is tested by lot for tolerance in basis weight, caliper, porosity, moisture, opacity, etc.

All printed products are individually inspected to confirm a quality finished product.

The sky’s the limit! We can create your custom handmade paper in your choice of color, size, thickness and using your own custom seed or fiber. Once we have created the paper, we can print, die-cut, and even assemble it, providing complete fulfillment services.

With the hemp paper, you are only limited by the natural color of the paper. The hemp paper is inspected at the mill and lot numbers assigned for traceability. The paper is tested by lot for tolerance in basis weight, caliper, porosity, moisture, opacity, etc.

All printed products are individually inspected to confirm a quality finished product.

Smaller seeds tend to work best since the seeds are contained inside the paper and this will ultimately ensure superior print quality. It is also best to select seeds that are hardy and easy to grow. Certain seeds can cause a “bleed”, a slight discoloration of the paper. This halo effect can vary but it is strictly cosmetic and will not affect the germination or product quality. We can create a sample sheet using your custom seeds in order to determine viability.

With our vegetable and herb seed, we dissuade you from mixing seeds in the paper.

We can make handmade paper out of almost any fiber. Our PaperEvolution® line consists of paper made from junk mail, recycled blue jeans, coffee beans, hemp textile scraps, and garlic skins. Previous custom handmade papers we have produced utilized grape skins from a bio-dynamic winery, discarded employee uniforms, coconut husks, and corn husks, just to name a few. Let us know what you are interested in having infused into your custom paper at sales@greenfieldpaper.com.

With our vegetable and herb seed, we dissuade you from mixing seeds in the paper.