I guess there are times when you find yourself facing life’s great ironies. Today, as I type this on my computer, I’m going to tell you how exciting and vital the role of paper continues to be. As a 24-year-old woman, I can say that although my childhood was still full of paper drawings and phrases written on notebooks, there came the point where everything I wrote, drew, and even played began to be through a screen. I’m not going to lie that for those of us who lived through the analog-tech transition, everything on a screen was fascinating, so much that at some point during my teenage years, I thought I would never physically reread a book. It was not until a few years later that I realized that the experience of having a piece of paper in my hands was way more captivating than seeing the same screen. Nothing was more pleasant than touching, smelling, and feeling a book in my hands.

Later, I began to delve into the possibilities that paper offered me beyond books and discovered a vast community of creators and readers who, as I do, still believe that paper is not dead. I realized there are multiple publications of comics, zines, photo books, and magazines created by notable artists and designers that just hit differently because of the simple fact that the whole experience around it is unique. If you plan to release something, you might give printing a chance. There are plenty of sizes, colors, shapes, and papers in which you can print, and choosing the right one according to your work and concept can add a specific vibe that will make you stand out. Nowadays, there are many eco-friendly ways to print something, as well as printing studios that can help you get fabulous pieces according to your budget and idea.

The art of paper will continue to exist as long as we, creators and readers, allow it. Let’s keep filling our hands with it. It’s never too late to dig into this world and find so many printed jewels, so here’s a list of my top 5 stores and studios in Mexico City where you can find some of them.

Casa Bosques
Casa Bosques is a unique art and design bookstore. They offer an outstanding selection of books, magazines, and other printed materials from the local and international scene. Their catalog covers various subjects, including art, architecture, photography, design, fashion, and theory publications. They are obtained through alternative distribution channels such as art book fairs, trips abroad, and directly from their authors.

Can Can Projects
Founded by Jackie Crespo and Gabino Azuela, Can Can Projects is a space dedicated to the exhibition of contemporary art and design. This space articulates the editorial line of Can Can Press, which focuses on promoting, disseminating, and distributing new visual languages. It also offers a site and platform not limited to art exhibitions but combines new proposals with other creative and cultural projects.

Cafeleería
The place where local coffee and prints converge, Cafeleería is a space created in 2010 to collaborate and promote the work of different
artists through different monthly publications. The site has various books, zines, and comics on multiple topics and local creators.

Mixed media.press
Mixed media.press is a publishing label established in Mexico City in 2015, dedicated to the design, edition, and publication of high-quality, contemporary art books and projects.

La Duplicadora
This place is the product of the concerns of Emmanuel García and Vanessa López in dealing with print media, especially risography and its forms of artistic combination. Armed with two risography machines, they have released hundreds of high-quality books. Since 2018, they have positioned themselves as one of the best exponents as far as
craft publishing can get.