Tibetan Paper and Handicraft was created in 2004 by Phurbu Tsering to meet the growing demand for high quality, ecologically friendly Tibetan handicrafts and papers in North America.

A Tibetan native born in Nepal, Phurbu's lifetime of knowledge of Tibetan handicrafts and the artisans who create them gives him a unique perspective when choosing products and papers.

Since Tibetan Paper and Handicrafts imports directly from Nepal, we can provide you with environmentally friendly, fair trade certified products of the highest quality at very reasonable prices.

Our close link to the artisans who create our products allows us to ensure that they are fairly compensated and that no child labor was used in the creation of any item.

High Quality Handmade Tibetan Paper and Products
Our paper is entirely handmade in Nepal, using traditional Tibetan methods. It is made from the inner bark of the Daphne bush, which grows in the Himalayan regions of Tibet and Nepal at an altitude of 6,500' - 11,000' above sea level.. The Daphne bush is locally known as 'Lokta' and has the characteristic of regenerating after four to five years of being cut, thus preserving the fragile forest ecology. The sources of our paper are sustainable managed forests.

Features of Our Traditional Handmade Tibetan Paper
The paper is fine-textured, strong, extremely durable and completely acid free. It has a tough but attractive edge. In ancient times, the Lokta paper was used for writing Mantras, Sutras and Buddhist epics, and preparing legal documents. Today, it is still used in the contents of prayer wheels and widely used for art, invitations, stationery, book cover and for making exquisite gift-wrappers. Due to its unique features, our handmade paper is highly appreciated and recommended by those who use it.

Presently we supply the following items:

• Natural handmade sheet paper
• Natural and chemical dye
• Ecologically oriented papers incorporating flower and leaf combinations
• Hemp and recycled sheet papers
• Seeds, straw and combinations
• Natural splotch(texture) and tie dye paper
• Wood block and silk screen prints
• Gold and silver patterns and Bodhi leaf printed on natural and chemically-dyed sheet papers
• Envelopes, notebooks, greeting cards, bookmarks, business cards, book cover and stationery sets
• Incense boxes of handmade paper, shopping bags, lampshades, photo frames and albums etc.

Natural and Chemical Colors
We use saffron, indigo, pomegranate skin, rhubarb, the inner part of the acacia tree and walnut skin to dye our papers in soft natural tones. We also sprinkle sheets with flower petals, mint leaves, radish seeds, chilli and other spicy seeds. Silkscreen ornamentation includes traditional Tibetan motifs, and gold and silver imprints of the Bodhi leaf or bamboo, flower and wave patterns. We produce beautiful boxes in combinations of color and design that incorporate hemp, bone and wood closures. Our incense and altar sets disseminate the aura of Tibetan Buddhism.

We also supply other Tibetan & Nepalese handicrafts:

• Himalayan Pashmina shawls and stoles
• Tibetan and Nepalese wooden masks
• Tibetan incenses and prayer flags
• Nepalese singing bowls and clothing and more.

Our Community Contributions
The main objective of our company is to preserve the traditional papermaking techniques of the rural and urban areas of Nepal, and to provide employment to low-income families and Tibetan refugees.

As part of our community contributions Tibetan Paper recently sponsored the Silver Jubilee School Magazine for Namgyal Middle Boarding School in Kathmandu Nepal.

All our products are environmentally friendly and do not cause deforestation, but in fact help reduce it. We select our sources carefully to be 100% free of child labor.