Designing for Impact

# Paper

How a Dscoop Connection Sparked the Creation of the Stello Keepsake Kit

May 13, 2025

Some collaborations start with a shared project. This one started with shared principles.

Monadnock Paper Mills, Inc. and Blooming Color, a Chicago-based printer, were brought together by DSCOOP and a shared commitment to print and innovation. Over the years of collaborating, sharing insights, and participating in this annual gathering, the connection between the two companies evolved into a partnership based on a natural alignment of values. When it came time to introduce Stello–a new, Perfect White paper designed to elevate life’s most meaningful moments–to the market, that alignment made Blooming Color a natural fit to bring the printed vision to life.

Julie Brannen, Director of Sales and Sustainable Solutions at Monadnock, and Rosemarie Breske Garvey, President at Blooming Color joined forces to create The Stello Keepsake Kit: a thoughtfully curated selection of invitations, cards, and envelopes that showcase Stello's tactile and visual possibilities. More than just a product sample, the kit celebrates what happens when sustainability, innovation, and design converge.

Shared Vision, Shared Values

Monadnock and Blooming Color didn’t come together by chance. Long before the launch of Stello, they had already built a rapport through DSCOOP—sharing stages, exchanging ideas, and finding common ground in their commitment to craftsmanship, sustainability, and purposeful print. The Keepsake Kit grew out of that shared ethos and the kind of conversations that happen when creative minds connect.

“Stello is more than just paper—it’s about how that paper shows up in someone’s life,” says Garvey. “A lot of this work in the e-comm space can be quite transactional. You print what you’re given. This project was a reminder: even though the process is digital, the result is something people hold and feel.”

Stello’s origin is rooted in intention: to create the brightest white sheet that could carry the weight of life’s most meaningful moments. Its name—drawn from the Latin stēllō, “to set with stars”—reflects the level of brightness, clarity, and precision-crafted in every sheet. The paper had to perform flawlessly on press, feel elevated in hand, and bring a sense of refinement to applications where every detail matters—wedding invitations, photo books, announcements, and fine stationery.

For Garvey and her team, producing the Stello Keepsake Kit wasn’t just another job—it was a chance to help showcase a product that reflected their own values in print.

The Stello Keepsake Kit: A Collaboration in Craft

Monadnock designed Stello to inspire possibility. For a paper designed to elevate life’s core memories, the sample experience needed to do the same. The Keepsake Kit crafted to be touched, opened, and explored, transformed a product sample into an immersive experience, showcasing Stello’s performance attributes and potential.

“We wanted to take the traditional swatchbook experience and flip it on its head,” says Garvey. “By showing actual invitations and embellished pieces, we’re helping people imagine how their own most important moments will come to life in print.”

The concept was shaped through ongoing creative dialogue between both teams. Blending Monadnock’s product vision with Blooming Color’s insight into how brands and consumers engage with high-touch print helped inform how best to showcase Stello’s capabilities.

“Rosemarie brought an invaluable market lens to this collaboration,” says Brannen. “Her insight into what consumers notice, expect, and respond to, helped ensure the Keepsake Kit not only demonstrated Stello’s capabilities—but did so in a way that resonates with the brands we built it for.”

The Stello Keepsake Kit is the result of a trusted production partnership built on a shared belief in the power of thoughtful design, meticulous craftsmanship, and sustainable materials.

Navigating the Nuances

Projects like this don’t leave room for guesswork. From the first press run, Stello proved its ability to deliver sharp detail, rich finishes, and consistency across various print techniques.

Meticulously optimized and three-star rated for HP® Indigo® presses, it performed with exceptional consistency across Blooming Color’s digital fleet—including the HP Indigo 100K and 7K—bringing every detail of the Keepsake Kit to life with clarity and control.

The kit includes a variety of sample invitations, cards, and envelopes featuring both smooth and eggshell finishes, in 65 lb., 115 lb., and 130 lb. cover, and 80 lb. and 100 lb. text. Each piece demonstrates Stello’s response to specialty techniques such as letterpress, spot clear ink, black and gold foil, all executed with precision. The digitally printed case cover, produced on 115 lb. Stello Smooth and Zünd-cut, set the tone: elegant, clean, exacting, and elevated.

“There’s no margin for error on something like this,” Garvey says. “You don’t print imperfectly on Perfect White paper.”

Printing with Purpose

“Stello was developed to meet the growing need for high-performing digital print substrates that don’t compromise on environmental responsibility,” says Brannen. “Manufactured with FSC®-certified materials, manufactured carbon neutral (VERs), and powered by 100 percent renewable Green-e certified wind electricity (RECs)—all under a third-party certified ISO 14001 Environmental Management System. It's designed to meet both the technical demands of modern print and the environmental expectations of today’s brands.”

Monadnock is a Platinum-rated EcoVadis facility, placing it among the top one percent of all companies evaluated globally for environmental and social responsibility. This level of commitment was essential for Blooming Color.

“Monadnock backs up every claim with real practices, and that’s what matters to us,” says Garvey. “We get to choose who we work with, and those relationships must be rooted in more than a shared business objective. It’s about shared values.”

As Blooming Color advances its own sustainability efforts—including active pursuit of a Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP) certification and the integration of FSC-certified materials—it continues to work with partners who lead with action, not just optics. Monadnock is both a Platinum Sponsor and active member of SGP, further reinforcing its commitment to driving real environmental progress across the print supply chain.

Blooming Color has implemented practical, responsible programs—like recycling HDPE ink canisters from HP Indigo presses—and prioritizes sourcing partnerships that actively support reforestation and responsible forestry.

A Living, Breathing Partnership

“This project was about what’s possible when you bring the right people together—people who care deeply about the craft, the planet, and helping our customers look their best,” says Brannen.

Through this partnership, Monadnock and Blooming Color are proving that sustainability and high performance aren’t opposing forces. It’s also a testament to the DSCOOP community, where partnerships like this don’t just form, they flourish. The Stello Keepsake Kit validates that when shared values are supported by a shared ecosystem, extraordinary things can happen.

Designers and printers interested in exploring the possibilities of Stello can request the Stello Keepsake Kit at https://mpm.com/stello.

Designing for Impact

How a Dscoop Connection Sparked the Creation of the Stello Keepsake Kit

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