In this month’s Daily Bibibi article, Ranko talks about various types of paper used for doujinshi!
Note: the sample pics have descriptions of the featured paper, but since the pics are small and some parts are a bit hard to read, I don’t feel like translating them, sorry!
Hi there, Daily Bibibi readers. I’m Ranko, the vocalist of BUTAOTOME. In this series of articles, I’m going to introduce you to things that I like, as I like them.
This time, I’d like to talk about “special paper”. I’m a big fan of paper media, especially doujinshi. If you’ve been following this series, you probably know what a “doujinshi” is. My personal perception is that “doujinshi” are self-published collections of illustrations, comics, novels, poems, critiques, photos, etc. that you have created yourself.
Originally, “doujinshi” was a way for like-minded people to get together and pay for each other’s work. It started with a magazine called “Garakuta Bunko”, in which Kouyou Ozaki and others participated. Chuuya Nakahara, one of my favorite authors, also participated in a doujin magazine called “Hakuragun”. It can be said to be the origin of today’s “circle activities”. Come to think of it, we don’t hear much about “personal circles” these days, probably because people are supposed to work alone.
This is a bit off-topic, but the appeal of doujinshi is that you can create your own creations using your favorite design/binding and special paper. I can’t really explain why I like paper, or why I like paper media, but I love going to paper shops and just looking at the paper.
Also, when I see a book with a nice binding/design at a bookstore, I tend to pick it up. This is what is called special manufacturing. Foil stamping and hologram processing are the major ones, but I’m amazed when I see the taste in how they use them… For example, if the title is black on glossy black paper with a sandy matte finish or a transparent hologram foil stamped on it, I won’t be able to resist it…
So, I introduce you to some of my favorite papers!
I think paper is hard to understand from pictures, so I’ll take pics from Print-on’s sample magazine list.
Miranda Snow White
Waaa~~ everyone loves this one! Everyone loves Miranda, don’t they!? It has very fine sparkles in it, and this is thick paper, so it’s for the cover, but Miranda is also often used for flyleaves (the paper that is placed between the back cover and the front cover and before the beginning of the main content, or between the end of it and the back cover). I like black and blue, but I also like crimson and pale green… I like them all…
Shine Face Gold and Silver
A pearlescent paper that glows gold and silver when exposed to light. I like both the warmth of the gold and the coolness of the silver. The colors are a bit muted, but when matted, it creates an atmosphere I like.
Stardust white
Chromatico Berry Pink
These two are for flyleaves. I really like tracing paper, and I tend to buy it. The name “Stardust White” is cute, and I like the vivid colors of Chromatico as well.
Curious TL Iridescent
This is the first time I’ve seen this paper in Print-on’s sample magazines, and isn’t it so cute~~~??? It fulfills my favorite elements of “polarization” and “tracing paper”… I like the idea of using this paper as cover paper and letting the printing on the inside cover show through…
I wanted to go on to my favorite bookbinding, but it would take too many words, so I’ll leave that for next time! I’ll also talk about “sandy matte processing” and “transparent hologram foil stamping,” which I mentioned a little bit this time.
I’d like to introduce my recommended paper shop.
⇒ https://www.winged-wheel.co.jp
They have a showroom in Omotesando.
Well then, see you next month.
Ranko signing off!