Paper, and the Zerkall question

Zerkall paper is, was, the paper that small letterpress workshops across Europe used for fine work. The mill, in Dueren in western Germany, made mould-made paper of a particular weight and surface that took letterpress ink with a depth no other paper achieved. The mill closed in 2021 after the family that ran it sold the buildings to a developer. The last batch of Zerkall came off the moulds in March of that year. Most of us bought what we could in the months before the closure. I have, at the time of writing, about 300 sheets of Zerkall 145 gsm left, and I am rationing it.

What Zerkall was

Zerkall paper was a mould-made paper, meaning that the pulp was poured into shallow moulds on a continuous belt and the water was drained through the mould rather than pressed out. The result was a paper with a slightly irregular surface, not as irregular as a hand-made sheet, but considerably more textured than a machine-made paper. The texture was what mattered. Letterpress ink sits into a textured surface in a way that produces shadow and depth; on a smooth paper, the ink sits on top and looks flat.

Zerkall came in several weights, in cream and white, with deckle edges and trimmed edges. The standard Brabant Letterpress broadside was printed on Zerkall 145 gsm cream, deckle-edged, in sheets of 56 by 76 cm.

The substitutes

• Hahnemuehle Buetten, closest in texture to Zerkall. Slightly heavier (180 gsm). Takes ink well. Available in cream and white. The current first choice for new work.
• Magnani Litho, Italian mould-made. Beautiful surface, slightly more absorbent than I would like for letterpress. Better suited to lithography. I use it for chapbook interiors.
• Fabriano Tiziano, slightly toothier than I want. Letterpress ink sits a little too high. Used for occasional one-offs.
• Stonehenge, American printmaking paper. Surface is good but the paper is too thirsty; ink soaks in more than it should. Used only for proofs.
• Arches Velin, too smooth. The print sits on top.
• St Cuthberts Mill papers, variable batch-to-batch quality. Tested. Did not commit.
• Locally-sourced handmade paper from a small mill in Lochem. Surface is wonderful but the sizing is inconsistent across a sheet, which produces visible blotching in solid blocks of type. I admire the paper but cannot print on it reliably.

What I'd advise

For anyone running a small letterpress workshop in 2026: Hahnemuehle Buetten is the answer. It is not Zerkall, but it is the closest thing currently in production, and it is consistently available. Buy in quantity. Mill-direct pricing is significantly lower than through art-supply retailers. Order in 100-sheet packs at minimum.

For anyone hoping that someone will reopen Zerkall: they will not. The mill buildings have been demolished. The moulds were sold to scrap. The water rights along the Rur, which were part of what made the paper what it was, no longer belong to any paper mill. It is gone. Buy Hahnemuehle and continue.