Announcement
Em Dash Paper Co. offers a variety of paper goods with hand-lettered calligraphy design, including stationery, notebooks, greeting cards, stickers, and more.
Follow along with my work and life here:
http://www.instagram.com/emdashpaperco
http://www.emdashpaper.co
Inquiries and freelance lettering requests:
emily [!at] emdashpaper.co
You can also contact me here:
https://www.etsy.com/conversations/new?with_id=14729981
Announcement
Em Dash Paper Co. offers a variety of paper goods with hand-lettered calligraphy design, including stationery, notebooks, greeting cards, stickers, and more.
Follow along with my work and life here:
http://www.instagram.com/emdashpaperco
http://www.emdashpaper.co
Inquiries and freelance lettering requests:
emily [!at] emdashpaper.co
You can also contact me here:
https://www.etsy.com/conversations/new?with_id=14729981
Items

All Items
Reviews
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cassandrine88 on Jul 20, 2016
5 out of 5 starsPerfect, just perfect. Holding on to this little gem until the right moment.
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apinon on Jun 29, 2016
5 out of 5 starsI first bought this card for our wedding day and have bought it for every anniversary since. I will continue to do so as long as EmDashPaperCo is around. I just love the card and my husband thinks it's the neatest thing every time he opens it.
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Jes on May 26, 2016
5 out of 5 starsFast shipping! Adorable packaging! Just as pictured! Love it, thanks!!!
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Megan on May 22, 2016
5 out of 5 starshave bought this card annually for three years! Will miss it <3
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Lisa on May 10, 2016
5 out of 5 starslove love love the card
it is absolutely perfect
exactly what was advertised and quick turn around
thank you -
Live on May 10, 2016
5 out of 5 starsHigh quality. Excellent packaging. Quick delivery. Great customer service.
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About EmDashPaperCo
Paper Goods & Gifts Designed by Hand in the Dash
Em Dash Paper Co. began as Sparrow Nest Script, a paper goods shop with an emphasis on modern calligraphy.
I created Sparrow Nest Script as I finished grad school in 2011, because none of the “normal” career paths for an English MA appealed to me. I've always had neat handwriting and I'd previously dabbled in calligraphy for a friend’s wedding invitations, so I had the crazy thought that “hey, maybe something like that could turn into a career!” I dove in head first, naming the new shop to correlate with my existing knits store, Sparrow Nest Knits, which has since closed.
In the beginning, I spent $25 for some brown kraft cardstock and envelopes, a jar of black india ink, and a starter set of calligraphy nibs. Each card was cut and folded by hand, the greetings individually written with pen and ink. This method was great for someone with zero start-up capital, but it quickly proved too labor- and time-intensive for the amount of orders I was receiving.
As business grew, I made changes and improvements, such as investing in a scoring board, professional paper cutter, and Wacom drawing tablet. I started scanning and digitizing my designs so I could print them in larger batches and sell them for less than the early hand-drawn versions. My lettering slowly began incorporating new styles and embellishments.
In February 2013, I changed the shop's name to Em Dash Paper Co. As my work evolved away from its original calligraphy focus, the “script” part of the old name no longer made as much sense, and when Sparrow Nest Knits closed down, it took the “sister shop” significance of Sparrow Nest Script with it. Em Dash came about as a reference to my hyphenated last name, Poe dash Crawford, and my town, which is also hyphenated and nicknamed “the Dash.” The em dash itself is a callback to my literary background and love of grammar, so the new name seemed perfect on many levels.
Today, I continue to experiment with new styles and methods, always drawing every design by hand before scanning, vectorizing, and preparing for print. My work reflects a love of words, both as tools for communication and as works of art in themselves, and I’m always musing over the Next Big Idea. The environment is very important to me, so I use recycled papers for my creations and ship packages with biodegradable plastic sleeves and recycled mailers. The few companies I work with to print my designs are also committed to using green practices and environmentally responsible materials.
The ultimate goal of Em Dash Paper Co. is to spread joy and facilitate connection through the written word. At the core of my business is this lyric from my favorite Frightened Rabbit song: “while I’m alive, I’ll make tiny changes to earth.”
♥
Shop members
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Emily
Owner, Hand Letterer, Designer
I'm a hand letterer with a love for books, music, pop culture, good design, tasteful profanity, and cats, and a tendency toward sarcasm and introversion. I live and work in an old house in Winston-Salem, NC.
Production partners
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Printer
CA, United States
I work with a printing company to prepare my boxed stationery, greeting cards, and stickers. They use professional HP equipment to print my original hand-drawn designs, and I check the quality of each piece as I cut, score, fold, and package it.
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Printer
RI, United States
I work with a printing company to create name tag stickers from my original hand-lettered design. They use thick, durable vinyl with permanent adhesive and I inspect the stickers for any print imperfections before I package them up into sets.
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Stamp Engraver
MA, United States
I work with an engraving company to make my rubber stamps. They laser cut my original hand-drawn designs in red rubber and mount them to North American hard wood bases. I make sure each one is top quality before packaging and sending it off to you.
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Printer
MN, United States
I work with a printing company to prepare greeting cards, postcards, and prints from my original hand-drawn designs. They use FSC-certified recycled papers, non-toxic dry inks, and green printing practices, and replant trees to offset their impact.
Shop policies
Accepted payment methods
Returns and exchanges
I gladly accept returns
I don't accept exchanges or cancellations
The following items can't be returned or exchanged
- Custom or personalized orders
- Perishable products (like food or flowers)
- Digital downloads
- Intimate items (for health/hygiene reasons)
Returns and exchange details
I will handle returns and exchanges on an individual basis as the need arises. After 21 days, all sales are final and items cannot be returned or exchanged. Before that point, please note that you will be responsible for return shipping costs. Refunds will be given for the purchase price only.
Payment
I require payment within 2 days of a purchase. Orders will not be shipped until payment has cleared.
PLEASE NOTE: Customers in North Carolina will be charged 7.75% sales tax.
Shipping
International orders ship via USPS First Class International unless another method is requested. Please note that shipping upgrades will incur an additional fee, billed via Paypal after the original purchase clears. Also: I am always completely honest on the customs forms that I fill out. I will not mark purchases as gifts, so don't even ask--while I greatly appreciate and love my customers, I will not break the law for you. Sorry!
If you have any specific needs concerning your item's shipping (for example, insurance, expedited service, etc), simply let me know and I will try to accommodate you to the best of my ability. Please be aware that shipping modifications may require additional fees.
Additional policies and FAQs
CUSTOM ORDERS are not accepted at this time.
FEEDBACK is greatly appreciated. I would love to hear what you think of the item(s) and service you receive!
GIFT-WRAPPING is available upon request. Contact me if you would like me to include a gift card, mail the package directly to the recipient, or do anything else to make your gift special.