our story

oblation papers & press was founded by husband-and-wife duo, jennifer and ron rich. the couple began selling their handmade paper goods at the eugene saturday market in 1989, printing by letterpress in 1994, then opened their brick & mortar store in portland, oregon’s pearl district in 1998. the company is founded on their shared passion for traditional craftsmanship and environmental consciousness. these values are engrained in the traditional techniques used in the handmade paper process and letterpress printing.

oblation’s handmade paper and letterpress goods have traveled to trade shows around the world, from nyc and tokyo to paris and london, and are now sold globally online through our wholesale website and faire as oblation papers & press and the hat+wig+glove company.

we have always been attracted to the benefits and practicality of recycling. in fact, our business has its roots in taking unwanted paper products, converting them back into pulp, and transforming them into fresh, new paper. in the urban paper mill, we employ traditional techniques to make handmade paper sheets with 100% acid-free cotton fiber sourced by using recycled remnants from the garment industry. oblation was founded on practicing a green approach and we follow recycling principles that focus on reuse and conservation. on most days, our skilled papermaking team can be found in the paper studio mixing recycled pulp, pulling paper, or experimenting.

The front of the Oblation Papers & Press retail store and handmade paper and letterpress studio in Portland, Oregon.

we have been designing custom wedding invitations and other custom paper projects for nearly three decades. our letterpress print shop is home to two antique chandler & price clamshell presses and two heidelberg windmill presses that will likely outlive us all! letterpress printing reflects an era of quality and craftsmanship, this historic method of printing uses raised type and images, inked and pressed into the surface of heavy papers. our custom letterpress process begins with timeless original designs tailored to your special occasion. our production staff creates individual custom plates on location, prints with soy based inks, and finishes every piece by hand. come see the presses in action through the windows of our retail store in portland, oregon.

we’re thrilled to give back to our community through the children’s healing art project (chap), as well as transition projects, local schools and churches.

Bottles of fountain pen inks lined up in the case at our retail store in the Pearl District of Portland, Oregon.
The checkout counter at Oblation Papers & Press's Portland studio and shop.
Vintage refurbished typewrites lined up on the shelves at Oblation Papers & Press in Portland, Oregon.
The Hat Wig Glove Co., the brain-child of Ron Rich, is a bumper sticker company, disguised as a greeting card company, disguised as a hat, wig and glove company. 

hat+wig+glove co.

The Hat Wig Glove Co., the brain-child of ron rich, is a bumper sticker company, disguised as a greeting card company, disguised as a hat, wig and glove company.  Sometimes that's just what you got to do when running from the law.  We employ reverse psychology, semiotics and aspartame to cook up a tasty little stew of sloganeering then print them on greetings cards.

After some punitive recourse by Instagram, the Hat Wig Glove people have reemerged like a butterfly from a cocoon to answer questions posed by imaginary people from all over the country. follow along here.