1492 was a historic year, memorable for two special events — the discovery of “the New World” by Christopher Columbus and the founding of the Arches paper mill, which has endured throughout the centuries to the pleasure and satisfaction of renowned artists, art publishers, and printers.
Paper pulp, that skillful blend of carefully selected fibers, is the quintessence of Arches papers and has been the guarantee of their quality for more than 500 years. The natural cotton fibers used for most of its production give Arches paper elegance and strength, with the subtleties of the grain giving the paper both touch and bulk.
The traditional cylinder mould, an industrial papermaking process in use for more than a century, gave rise to the roll of paper. At the end of each production cycle, the cutting, plus the tactile and visual inspection of each sheet of Arches paper is entrusted to the hands and eyes of highly experienced women and men.
Each production run is subjected to numerous technical controls, some of them very old and others more recent, which guarantee the undisputed quality of the papers that have given Arches its reputation. As a result, Arches continues to produce a paper with outstanding physical and chemical properties and an inimitable natural look.
Since 1492, Arches has remained the paper most used for the creative arts. Van Gogh, Matisse, Chagall, Picasso, Braque, Miro, Dali, Warhol, Alechinsky, among others, as well as great art publishers, have made it their paper of choice. Famous the world over, Arches is used by a multitude of artists and publishers on every continent.