Clairefontaine, founded in 1858, is Europe’s only paper manufacturer still producing its own paper. The factory in Étival-Clairefontaine, France, remains in operation today, a testament to its enduring legacy and commitment to quality.
Clairefontaine began manufacturing traditional stationery in 1880, notebooks in 1890, and produced its first high-quality exercise books for schoolchildren in 1950.
Today, Clairefontaine is known not only for its notebooks, journals, and stationery, but also for premium fine-art paper, drawing pads, and sketchbooks.
Clairefontaine produces the velvety, 90g paper for its notebooks and pads in-house at its factory in France. The paper is exceptionally white, opaque, and smooth, providing a unique writing experience. It’s also sustainably sourced, PEFC and FSC certified.
Clairefontaine is also renowned for its exceptional art papers, manufactured with Schut Paper. For over four centuries, the Schut mill in the Netherlands has crafted fine-art papers of unparalleled quality. Since its acquisition by Exacompta Clairefontaine in 1998, Schut Paper continues to uphold the meticulous paper-making traditions that have defined its legacy. Clairefontaine’s current collection is produced with the same care and quality that distinguished Schut during the Dutch Golden Age, when they supplied paper to master painters, including Rembrandt and Vermeer.
