This is just a quick post to help clarify some information about Awagami Factoryโs “Shiramine Select” paper. Specifically, that it is unsized.
(Note: Awagami has two papers with the โshiramineโ moniker: Shiramine, and Shiramine Select. This post pertains only the “Select” version. The non-Select Shiramine is sized, is sold as a roll, and has some other minor differences. )
There are many websites and retailers that describe Shiramine Select as being sized. However, I had been skeptical of these claims for a few years. After a recent discussion with some other printmakers, we sought clarification from Awagami, and they confirmed our suspicion that it was unsized.
Apparently, Shiramine Select was originally a sized paper, but at some point (circa 2019?), Awagami changed the paper to be unsized. However, the old description of the paper still persists on many retailers’ websites, such as Blick, Jackson’s, and so on, and so on. Pretty much every website where it is sold describes it as being “generously sized,” which is no longer accurate.
Awagami’s own Japanese product page updated the “sizing” property to ็กใ (none/without) in mid 2023; Their English website also subtly removed “generous sizing” from the description in mid 2023; and as of a few weeks ago, includes an “(unsized)” note. So at least their own product pages are up to date (although it was a few years late); but it seems like their retailers never got the memo about the product change.
I just wanted to put that information out there, since a lot of the product descriptions are incorrect/outdated. Hopefully this can save some headache for other consumers who believe that they are purchasing a sized paper, or vice versa. Also note, that since this product previously was sized, it is possible that you could receive some old stock that is, in fact, sized; so “caveat emptor,” I suppose.
