Hello everyone!
This is a small write-up to give you a background on why we changed the paper in the new FEELU set of books.
When we were ready to print the Sochu Books Series 2 (Feelings Edition), our printers told us that there was a massive shortage of paper, and the paper costs had doubled due to COVID.
But this is not the only reason!
Consciously, we also wanted to make a more environmentally friendly choice of paper. We had considered sourcing bamboo paper or recycled paper. Both these types of paper were unavailable because there wasn't much demand for them.
So we spoke to some of our friends in the design and publishing space. They suggested that map litho paper is much more eco-friendly than art paper. Map litho paper also has a nice rough texture that children like rather than the smooth plastic-y finish.
They also suggested that we were making the books too heavy - that we need to bring it down to the following specs 120 GSM Map Litho for inside pages and 250 GSM Art Paper for cover pages with 6.7x8.6 inches. This, too, would make the books lighter, waste less paper and make the books more eco-friendly!
Since we have always wanted to choose a paper with the environment in mind, this seemed like something we had to do! As a company, we will continue to make our products as clean as possible.
The important thing we want you to consider is this:
We are artists who have managed to bring something like Sochu to the world. In a regular system of publishing and animation, something like Sochu would not have existed because it does not fit the mould. It is a miracle that we have come this far with Sochu, hugely because of the support of parents who want valuable content for their children!
We did a survey, and from all the customers who have bought these books only 1% were affected by the paper quality. But rest assured that we are working on this further and will consider a different paper for our next print run.
We assure you that the stories are crafted with utmost love and care. We care deeply about the world of children, and our biggest aim is to make the world a better place for children!
