ob.la.tion / o-bley-shuhn : n. a gift or offering
Our Story
Oblation began at the Eugene Saturday Market in 1989, where Jennifer and Ron Rich sold handmade paper goods they made themselves. By 1994 they were printing by letterpress. By 1998 they had opened their doors in Portland's Pearl District and have been there ever since.
We make our own paper, press our own cards, and curate everything else with the same conviction we started with: that beautiful things made by hand are worth seeking out.
In the Paper Studio
Our paper starts as cotton scrap — remnants from the garment industry that we pulp and pull by hand into fresh sheets. In the paper studio, our team works with 100% acid-free cotton fiber using traditional techniques: mixing pulp, pulling paper, experimenting with texture and weight. Reuse has been part of the work since 1989.
The Letterpress Shop
We have designed custom wedding invitations and other custom paper projects for nearly three decades. Our letterpress print shop is home to two antique Chandler & Price clamshell presses and two Heidelberg windmill presses that will likely outlive us all!
Letterpress printing reflects an era of quality and craftsmanship. This historic method of printing uses raised type and images, which are inked and pressed into the surface of heavy papers. Our custom letterpress process begins with timeless original designs tailored to your special occasion. Our production staff creates individual custom plates on location, print with soy-based inks, and finishes every piece by hand. Come see the presses in action through the windows of our retail store.
In the Community
We're thrilled to give back to our community through the Children's Healing Art Project (CHAP), transition projects, local schools, and churches.
Hat+Wig+Glove Co.
The Hat Wig Glove Co., the brain-child of Ron Rich, is a bumper sticker company disguised as a greeting card company, disguised as a hat, wig, and glove company.
Sometimes that's just what you must do when running from the law. We employ reverse psychology, semiotics, and aspartame to cook up a tasty little stew of sloganeering, then print them on greetings cards. After some punitive recourse by Instagram, the hat wig glove people have reemerged like a butterfly from a cocoon to answer questions posed by imaginary people from all over the country.