James Cropper
James Cropper have been making paper in the English Lake District since 1845. Based at Burneside, Kendal — on the same mill site for 180 years — they combine generations of craft with cutting-edge material science to produce some of the world’s most distinctive papers. They are a People of Print Partner.
Who James Cropper are
Still family-run after six generations, James Cropper are a custom papermaker and advanced materials manufacturer with a presence in over 50 countries. Their mill at Burneside sits within a UNESCO World Heritage Site — the River Kent runs directly through it — and has been in continuous operation since James Cropper himself took the lease in 1845.
They are not a volume paper producer. They are specialists: working closely with designers, brands and creatives to develop papers to precise colour, weight, texture and performance specifications. Their reputation is built on the quality of what they make and the depth of collaboration they bring to every project.
What they make
James Cropper’s paper range spans packaging papers, luxury retail, creative print, bookbinding, framing, mapping and specialist applications. Their Coloursource range — 50 signature shades representing 50 years of colour development — is available in eight weights with 36 embossed patterns, and is now accessible directly to designers as well as through stockists.
Beyond paper, their FibreBlend Upcycled Technology converts waste — used coffee cups, denim jeans, recovered fibres — into fully recyclable luxury paper and packaging. Their CupCycling™ facility, opened with the patronage of the late Queen, was the world’s first of its kind. COLOURFORM™, their moulded fibre packaging division, offers a plastic-free alternative to luxury single-use packaging for some of the world’s most prestigious brands.
Sustainability and craft
Sustainability is not a bolt-on for James Cropper — it is built into the mill’s relationship with its landscape. Their decarbonisation roadmap targets a 25% reduction in natural gas use by 2025, with a net zero ambition across the full supply chain by 2050. They are signatories of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation Global Commitment and winners of the Stationers’ Company Innovation Excellence Award.
They also produce the paper for the Royal British Legion’s Remembrance poppies — one of the most enduring examples of specialist papermaking in Britain — and are the partner behind the Wainwright nature prize’s use of natural dyes in contemporary papermaking.
James Cropper and People of Print share a belief that understanding materials makes better creative work. Paper is not passive — its weight, texture, colour and surface are design decisions.
If you’re a designer, printer or creative working with paper — or want to understand what’s genuinely possible — James Cropper are the people to speak to.