Where did the name of your studio come from?

"Noteworthy" describes our curated collection of cards and other gifts that we sell in our brick & mortar shop, most of which come from small businesses such as ourselves. "Paper & Press" is a nod to our love of stationery and the fact that we have have letterpresses on-site and print our own line of stationery and gifts.

Who is on your team, and how did you come together?

We have five amazing people on the Noteworthy team. Co-owners Amy Dolan & Taylor Valliant founded Noteworthy Paper & Press in the spring of 2008. Amy was working from her home office as a freelance graphic designer, while Taylor was four blocks away letterpress printing in her garage. The two came together after a chance meeting at a local restaurant and shared a dream to open a papery and letterpress studio in downtown Missoula. That dream soon became a reality. Both Amy and Taylor do design work. Amy does all the design work for our custom invitation clients and Taylor designs for and does all the letterpress printing for our own line of cards and gifts. Adrienne L. is our Wholesale Coordinator and a designer/illustrator for the wholesale line. She also assists with production, packaging and sales. Our amazing shop gals Taylor L. and Jennifer G. help run the ship with our brick & mortar shop and do the consultations and all the other work that comes with our custom clients!

How did you get into design and letterpress printing?

Taylor always had a love for the arts. She first began printing out of her garage and was later able to expand once Noteworthy opened its doors in 2008. She is a self-taught letterpress printer extraordinaire who has a knack for collecting antique equipment and adding it to our museum of machinery in the basement studio. Amy comes from a photography and journalism background. Her work in newsprint and magazines naturally led to a love of composition, layout and design. Adrienne graduated with a BFA in Illustration in 2009. She was doing mostly freelance illustration projects before landing at Noteworthy. Taylor and Adrienne love the creative collaboration. All of the designs for Noteworthy’s line are a mix of their ideas, illustrations and hand-lettering merged into one beautiful and unique collection of work.

Where do you find inspiration for your designs?

The bulk of our inspiration comes from the beautiful and historic place where we live. Missoula, Montana is in a valley surrounded by mountains and with rivers (literally) running through it. We all love the outdoors, and our daily lives and hobbies influence the aesthetic of the work we produce. The history of our valley is rooted in industry, and the historic downtown of Missoula reflects this. Our presses and our process tie us to our history and our land, and offer a chance for conversation beyond paper.

What kind of press(es) do you use?

The bulk of our work is printed on our 1952 Heidelberg windmill press. We also have a Vandercook that we use for larger-sized, shorter run projects. We have a Chandler & Price that we use to hand score all of the cards. Also, a giant Guillotine cutter to cut all of the stock.

Which press was used to print the Nicely Noted cards?

The Heidelberg!