Basic Grey Paper Line

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Reported By Julia Stainton

An article on Basic Grey paper line hardly needs an introduction. A long-time top favorite of papercrafters, there are few that have not heard the name Basic Grey. Basic Grey has a fabulous paper line of very distinctive designs. It is made up of an eclectic mix of modern and vintage designs…many with layers of texture, swirls or flowers. The papers are highly original as well as, edgy or sophisticated and are extremely easy to work with. The designs are so interesting and exciting; one hardly wants to cover them up. In fact, I have heard of some fans even framing the paper itself as a work of art.


Basic Grey markets their papers in Design lines in which all the papers work well together. They released four of their most beautiful design lines to date at Winter CHA 2007 a few months ago. Stella Ruby, Phoebe, Perhaps and Scarlet’s Letter have been flying off the shelves since they hit them. I know that I had to hunt them down as soon as I could! Lifetime Moments has a great feature from CHA that showcases the fabulous new Basic Grey line.


Basic grey papers are mostly single sided 12 x12 inch square papers designed for the scrapbooking market. The paper from each line is sold separately as well as together in packs. Each pack includes each of the eighteen papers in the line as well as tags and coordinating alphabet stickers. All of the papers in each line coordinate well with each other. I love how they include a mixture of patterned papers with gorgeous designs with simpler patterns that closely resemble distressed cardstock. This is fabulous for layering and for matching up papers when you desire a simpler look. The paper is a wonderful 65 pound, heavy weight that makes it ideal for any type of papercrafting project. Tags, monograms and other die cut paper is printed on 80 pound weight paper. The Basic Grey paper line is acid free and printed on white core paper. A great effect is to distress the edges or surface with sandpaper and create glimpses of this white inner core for interest. These papers retail for approximately $.65 USD per sheet or from $15 - $20 USD per paper pack.


Recently released from Basic Grey in the past year, is their new 6x6 paper pack format. All of their newer lines have been released in this format as well as the original standard size. These are perfect for the card making enthusiasts, as well as for smaller scale scrapbooks and small layers. I have been just thrilled with this new format as I primarily design cards for my papercrafting projects. The best thing about the smaller paper pads is the scaled down size of the prints. A long-time frustration for card designers has been beautiful 12x12 patterned paper that is scaled perfectly for scrapbooking but is just too large in pattern to work well with the smaller design projects. The other fabulous thing about these smaller sized pads is the cost. Retailing for approximately $6.00 US, you can have two of each paper design in the line quite affordably. If you are at all like me…you like to have it all!

Besides their gorgeous paper lines, Basic Grey is also known for their Rub-on transfers, coordinating ribbons and fibers, undressed chipboard and fabulous cutting edge tools. Each of these products is extremely high quality, very versatile and easy to use. I know this from personal experience. I, (most selflessly, of course) have personally tested almost all of their products so that I could share this information with you. (wink)

The Basic Grey company opened its doors in July 2004 and is located in Layton, Utah. The company has been phenomenally successful in the past three years. I can hardly believe their achievement in a highly competitive market. I recently conducted a very informal survey among almost two hundred papercrafters, asking them their favorite paper company. Basic Grey was the incontestable winner by a fairly large margin. With so many other creative & high quality companies on the market, this is high praise direct from the consumer. I recently contacted the company by e-mail and was amazed at their level of customer service. Within minutes, I had a lovely e-mail responding and answering my questions.


If you are looking for added inspiration with the Basic Grey line, their online gallery is a fabulous resource of ideas. If you are a Basic Grey fan and would like to stay on top of their new releases and great ideas, Basic Grey has a free on-line newsletter that you can sign up for on their site.


What would I like to see more of in the Basic Grey line? Having a houseful of boys, I think I'd like to see some more masculine designs in their product lines. I also like to see them come out with a cool new embellishments...I can never get enough of those and paired up with Basic Grey style...I'm sure they'd be fabulous! Basically...I'd just like to see more and more Basic Grey! They have become a staple in my papercrafting supplies.


Basic Grey has a fabulous rich, organic look and an inimitable style. I love their look with just the right amount of distressing and depth. Each item is a work of art. I can't wait until the next Basic Grey product release as I know, they won't disappoint! Basic Grey has this quote on their web-site...

YOU SEE THINGS; AND YOU SAY "WHY?"BUT I DREAM THINGS THAT NEVER WERE; AND I SAY "WHY NOT?"-George Bernard Shaw

I'm loving every thing that Basic Grey dreams up and they in turn are inspiring dreams of creativity in my mind and those of papercrafters everywhere. If you haven't tried out Basic Grey...what are you waiting for?!