Welcome to POP — A Creative Hub
A curated design resource from Spicers Canada to discover the power of paper, print, and packaging.
POP is a creative hub for you to discover new ideas, explore materials, and access practical guidance across paper, print, and packaging from Spicers Canada. From swatchbooks and sustainability resources to events and specification tools, it’s built to support better decisions throughout the creative process.
The Paper School
A one-of-a-kind resource for designers and print professionals, the Paper School Toolkit is a hands-on collection of curated paper selections, printed examples, and practical guidance. It’s designed to help you specify with clarity and print with intention—bringing paper into the design process with confidence.
Meet the team behind it
Watch the video below to connect with our Business Development team and learn how Spicers supports you with paper knowledge, tools, and expertise.
Ready to go further?
Connect with our Business Development team to explore Paper School and the resources available to support your next project.
Why paper knowledge matters more than ever
With Canada’s printing industry generating an estimated $7.9 billion annually and the paper packaging market exceeding $20 billion, designers are playing a bigger role in shaping material choices earlier in the creative process. But clear, practical guidance is not always easy to find. Many creative teams are still navigating:
- limited access to paper and print education
- uncertainty around grades, finishes, and end uses
- growing pressure to make responsible material choices
- scattered resources and support
- less confidence in material decisions before production
POP was created to bring those pieces together — combining inspiration, insights, and practical support in one place, so designers can make stronger choices with more confidence.
More than a paper supplier
Spicers Canada works with creative and production teams across the country. For designers, Spicers offers more than materials alone. We offer guidance that helps connect design intent with paper choices, sustainability considerations, and real production outcomes.
National reach, creative focus
With teams and facilities across Canada, Spicers supports designers, studios, agencies, and in-house creative teams from coast to coast. That national reach makes it easier to connect creative ideas with the materials, brands, and support needed to bring them to life.
Expertise that goes beyond the sample book
Through longstanding relationships with global and specialty mills, Spicers gives designers access to a broad range of paper brands, substrates, and material options. Our team also helps translate those options into real-world decisions — offering guidance on paper selection, responsible sourcing, finishes, availability, and production fit.
Support throughout the creative process
From early concept exploration to final material decisions, Spicers supports designers with the tools, resources, and expertise that make the process feel more informed. That includes education, samples, sustainability resources, and practical guidance that helps creative teams move forward with confidence.
Built for the way designers actually work
Our Hub brings together the resources designers need most often in one place. Whether you’re exploring materials, building knowledge, or looking for more confidence before production, the hub is designed to make that process easier.
Paper education
Let’s start with the fundamentals. For teams looking to build stronger paper knowledge, the hub offers practical learning tools designed to support real creative work.
- Book Paper School to explore paper fundamentals, material possibilities, and real-world print considerations in a more guided format
- Explore the Toolkit for a practical introduction to paper, print, sustainability, and specification support
Material exploration
When material decisions need to move beyond theory, the hub makes it easier to explore what’s available and what fits.
- Request swatchbooks and samples to compare materials in hand and bring paper choices into sharper focus
- Discover specialty papers, substrates, and new releases that support stronger creative direction from the start
Sustainability guidance
As sustainability expectations grow, the hub helps bring more clarity to responsible material choices.
- Access sustainability resources and certifications that support better-informed decisions
- Explore practical guidance on sourcing, materials, and the terms designers are increasingly expected to navigate
Tools and support
Here’s where practical decisions get easier. The hub brings together tools that help designers move from exploration to action.
- Download print-ready checklists and specification templates built to support real projects
- Connect with a Business Development consultant for guidance on material selection, production considerations, and project-specific questions
Programs and community
POP is also a way to stay connected to what’s happening across the Spicers design and print community.
- Sign up for the Spicers newsletter to receive updates on new releases, upcoming events, and featured resources
- Explore Paper School, events, and design-focused initiatives that keep you connected to ideas, people, and opportunities across the community
Support for real paper decisions
When paper plays an important role in the final outcome, the right support can make decisions feel clearer from the start. Spicers works with designers who are actively choosing materials for print, helping them find options that suit the creative idea as well as the practical realities behind it.
That can mean guidance on performance, availability, lead times, finishing considerations, and sustainability goals. It can also mean helping connect design intent with print production and paper supply, so there is less uncertainty before a project goes to press.
How the process takes shape
Here’s what working with Spicers can look like from the early stages of a project through to final paper selection:
- Start the conversation early, while the creative direction is still taking shape
- Share the key project details, including budget, timeline, print method, and material goals
- Review paper options that suit both the design intent and the practical needs of production
- Receive samples, specs, and guidance that help narrow down the best-fit choice
- Present a more informed material direction to your client or internal team
- Move into print with a clearer path for sourcing through your printer
What designers gain
Here’s what that support can help make easier, stronger, and more manageable throughout the process:
- Access a wider range of paper options across mills, finishes, and print applications
- Understand which materials are best suited to the job before production begins
- Get earlier visibility into availability, lead times, and supply considerations
- Make paper choices with more confidence when presenting them to clients or stakeholders
- Reduce the risk of last-minute changes, compromises, or production surprises
- Prepare backup options that still protect the original look and feel of the work
Support beyond sourcing
There’s also more available here than product access alone. Spicers helps designers stay informed, keep learning, and discover the full potential of paper, print, and packaging over time.
- Explore paper education resources that strengthen material knowledge in a practical way
- Access sustainability guidance and certifications that support more responsible decisions
- Stay up to date on new grades, releases, and material innovation
- Learn from real-world print and packaging examples that show how ideas translate into production
- Discover inspiration that is grounded in what can actually be made, not just what looks good in theory
What to know before you reach out
If you’re wondering when to start the conversation, it can happen earlier than you might think. There is no cost to connect with the Spicers team, and you do not need to have a confirmed job before reaching out. Material choices often evolve as a project develops, and that is a normal part of the process. The goal is to offer support, answer questions, and help you explore options — not to pressure a decision before you’re ready.