source for high-quality cotton paper larger than letter size?

[Treadwell]

I'm doing a 1850s-era document for a film and need a size that doesn't scream "copy paper". So 8.5 x 11 is out.

Documents tended to be larger then, but I was going to compromise and use legal size, 8.5 x 14, so I could still use a laser printer.

To my surprise, I'm having a hard time finding quality paper at that size. I've looked at "resume" paper, "business" paper, etc.

Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks!

 

[ghargiss]

I have an idea that might work. I'm sure I'm not the first, but I recently discovered that you can bleach the brown paper that comes on rolls in the Walmart shipping section and it turns out resembling handmade paper. It even has little flecks in it...if not bleached too long. Just rough up the edges a bit. It makes a lot of paper and can be cut to any size. You might want to iron it after it dries form the bleach...just to flatten it.

 

[Treadwell]

Interesting!

 

[Mr_Creepy]

You could get a large sheet of "nice" drawing or painting paper form an art/hobby store, and then cut it down to size. Not sure how well it would work in a printer though.

 

[whitehammer]

you can use paper for lining drawers, it feels more crisp than copy paper & is easily made browner by a thin tea wash to give it a little age.

 

[Yellowjacket]

For 18th and 19th century documents you really want 'laid paper' if you can get it. You'll pay more for it, but it's worth the look and feel of period paper.

Laid Paper and Textured Paper| CLASSIC Laid | Neenah Paper

 

[Treadwell]

Thanks for the suggestions, folks!

This is what I'm going with:

It has a bit of weight, a slight yellow tinge and a texture.

This kind of shows the color difference--regular white copy paper overlaid.

I would've gone even yellower if it had been on the shelf. In the film it's going to be featured in a very dark room, and handled by dark-skinned actors, so, photographically, anything pure white is going to get overexposed. I might have to add yellow to the artwork and print it in color. In person it'll look overdone, but once photographed...

It's 11x15, so I will trim the 11 to 8.5. The artwork will be 7" wide, so it will be trimmed again after printing. I figure 7 x 14 will look different enough from copy paper size. It's going to have to be.

Thanks again.