Card Supplier in the UK

Psyscape

Member
I have no idea how many UK members are on this forum, but for those who are here and - like me - have had some difficulty finding thick heavy duty (1mm - 1.5mm) card, the following may be useful.

Postage rates aren't too painful, they will send samples if you want to check out something first and the prices are excellent. With the proviso of course that the place specialises in re-cycled card.

There are other weights available, so ordinary card from around 150gsm and up are available, prices likewise are extremely favourable.

This is one of the very few places I've found that carries 1mm in A3 and A2 sizes.

There's paper, envelopes and all sorts of other stuff on the site, but here's the link to the card section. Hopefully this helps somebody.

Eco Craft Online Store

1 and 1.5mm card is towards the bottom of the page.
 
Z

Zathros

I am not sure if this is the same in the U.K. In the U.S. there is a chain store called Michael's Craft Stores. They do professional Picture and certificate mounting, etc. They cannot sell the trimmings of the 1 mm poster board. This acid, lignen freeboard is normally thrown away. That was until I showed up. I ave around 25 lbs. of the stuff, in multitudes of colors. I have one piece that is 2 by 3 feet in size! Ask, and ye shall receive. I tried to buy it at first, the guy asked what I was using it for. I happened to have a model in the car of a 22" ship I had made. When he saw that ship, he walked into the back room, and came out with a really big stack of paper, wrapped in brown paper, tied with a string, and told me, I can't sell this, I keep a little around, but there is so much left over, we just TOSS IT! So he gave it to me. Look around, even if you paid a quid for a 10 lb. stack, you would be way ahead of the game. I went back and gave him a CD with around 300 models I had collected off of the net, all freebies, to give to the guy. He said he'd probably never build them, but appreciated the gesture. Needless to say, I buy all my craft needs there. Always speak with the Manager, owners tend to be cheap. Be ready to pay a nominal price. :)
 

Psyscape

Member
Good advice Zathros, it is surprising the kind of stuff that is tossed out from businesses and what they have lurking in the "never used it" file.

I can't speak for the rest of the UK, but my little rock suffers from an almost complete lack of anything like this. The one printing store we have here that deals in everything from menus to large billboards absolutely will not, ever, pass off anything no matter how scrap it is, even for payment. I believe this is because he gets some sort of tax relief on recycling but I'm uncertain of that. To be fair though, he has offered to print things on heavy card if I want at a reduced cost. I guess I must have looked hungry, or desperate or something. Still works out rather costly though.

Otherwise it's cereal packets and old fruit boxes and suchlike. I was, I confess, rather excited that I'd finally found somewhere I could order heavier weight card that wasn't sold at "artist" prices. Last piece of A2 card I bought (just one sheet), at 0.85 microns (heaviest the art store had) cost me 7.98 UKP (just over 12 USD) which works out rather expensive to be honest.

Mind, this is a rock hanging off the butt end of England, and is not exactly helpful central. So I should know better. ;)

It does make me laugh sometimes, the excuses used for the higher cost of things. "Well, it costs more because of shipping charges."
Yeah, okay, so how come it doesn't cost me more in shipping then?

Ah well, not complaining really. I ordered some card earlier and will see what it's like. Maybe I can finally make that damn submarine I've been staring at for months.
 
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Zathros

I'm a bit confused, when I was in England, they said Manchester was the "butt" end of England. Seeing how Salford was literally on the rim of Manchester, that didn't commode, I mean, bode well for them. The further south I went, the warmer the people were, as was the temperature. God, I'd do anything for some real Fish 'n Chips , fried in lard, with a big bowl of Trifles, round 'bout an hour later!! :)
 

Psyscape

Member
Ah, yes, well that's probably got a lot to do with the problem that a lot of people in that general area are not overly familiar with a map. Also, nobody wants to admit they live in the armpit, it just doesn't really sound very cool. If one was to take a stylized dog as being the approximate shape of the UK, then Manchester would be very much closer to it's armpit than it's arse.

Poor souls.
 
Z

Zathros

Good to know. That Summer in England was the coldest Winter I have ever experienced!! :)
 

Psyscape

Member
Really? I'm surprised, usually people experience our special type of rain, as described by a Canadian who used to visit. "I've been rained on all over the world, but I've never experienced rain like here, rain that jumps back up at you after hitting the ground." But, I do agree we do have somewhat cold summers sometimes. But, it is England, where the weather is almost as screwed up as the population. :)

I recall the high amusement when a friend returned from Durban one year, and in the middle of one of our hotter summers, had to walk around with a thick jumper and coat on because he was "freezing." I guess it's a tad warmer in Durban.
 
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Zathros

I do remember that in the Summer of 1974, it seemed that if you put a Barley leaf under your armpits, because of the relative humidity, when the temperature approached 72 degrees, everybody would smell like soup. :)
 

Psyscape

Member
Surely it would have been more enjoyable if everybody had placed hops under their armpits and smelled like beer?
 
Z

Zathros

Usually, you take the info from these older threads, posting in them isn't really proper, unless you find a "New" paper supplier in the U.K., then, that would be considered adding something of value to the threads. Thanks! :)
 
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