What Borden & Riley Paper Co does

Borden & Riley Paper Co is a US manufacturer of specialty artist papers, founded in New York City in 1910 and now operating as a brand of privately held Chartpak, Inc., which acquired stewardship from the Woodward family of Queens, NY in 2018. Production of pads and rolls continues at Chartpak's facility at 1 River Road, Leeds, Massachusetts. The company's portfolio is organized around three stages of the creative process — concept and planning (sketch, tracing, kraft papers), fine art rendering (drawing, bristol, pen/ink/marker papers), and archive and display (glassine, chipboard) — spanning roughly 15 active SKUs across categories such as Drawing & Sketch, Pen/Ink/Marker, Tracing, Technical, and Specialty Substrates. Notable technical specifications include acid-free and pH-neutral formulations, calibrated transparency for tracing and overlay work, bleed-proof and feathering-resistant finishes for marker and pen media, and 100% cotton rag vellum transparentized during manufacturing for archival drafting.

Borden & Riley's core technology is specialized paper manufacturing expertise — control of fiber content, weight (8 lb. to 270 GSM across the lineup), finish (plate, vellum, glassine), transparency, and archival properties tuned to specific artistic media and techniques. The company sells directly to consumers and artists through the Chartpak Marketplace (chartpakstore.com), supplemented by a wholesale and retail inquiry channel routed through Chartpak. It also benefits from Chartpak's broader marketing infrastructure, including the Thalo artist community platform and social media channels, plus educational content such as the Art Paper Primer. The 2021 discontinuation of Denril Multi-Media Polypropylene Film due to Covid-era supply chain disruption is the principal recent product change, with affected customers directed toward sister-brand alternatives.

The revenue model is straightforward transactional sale of physical paper products to individual artists, illustrators, calligraphers, and technical drafters (and, via wholesale, to retailers). Pricing is not publicly disclosed. No software, API, or AI features are part of the product offering. Customer segments are horizontally diversified across hobbyist, professional, and educational use cases within the fine arts and technical drafting communities.

Name

Borden & Riley Paper Co

Legal name

Chartpak, Inc.

Website

https://bordenandriley.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1910

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Borden & Riley Paper Co, founded in 1910 and a brand of Chartpak, Inc. since 2018, manufactures specialty artist papers in Leeds, MA for fine artists, illustrators, calligraphers, and technical drafters across drawing, tracing, and archival product categories.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Northampton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Art Paper Products: Sale of specialty artist paper products including drawing, sketching, tracing, marker, and technical papers sold in various formats (pads, rolls, sheets) to artists, illustrators, and craft professionals.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Borden & Riley Paper Co manufactures specialty artist papers including drawing, sketch, tracing, marker, bristol, vellum, glassine, kraft, and chipboard products for fine artists, illustrators, calligraphers, and technical drafters. Products are sold in pads, rolls, and sheet formats, organized by creative process stage from concept work through fine art rendering to archive and display. The brand operates under Chartpak, Inc. with manufacturing continuing in Leeds, Massachusetts, and sales conducted through the Chartpak Marketplace as well as wholesale and retail channels.

Product overview

Borden & Riley Paper Co is a manufacturer of specialty artist papers, established in 1910 and now a brand of Chartpak, Inc. The product portfolio spans the complete creative process: Drawing & Sketch Papers (10 Penny Sketch, 35 Sun-Glo Sketch, 840 Kraft Paper, 116 Artist Drawing) for concept and planning work; Pen, Ink & Marker Papers (37 Boris Marker, 234 Paris Paper, 120P Bristol Plate, 120V Bristol Vellum, 30 Sign Writer's Bond) for fine art rendering; Tracing Papers (41 Light Tracing, 51H Heavy Tracing, 90 Vellum, 110M Technical Vellum) for technical and layout work; and Specialty Substrates (25G Glassine, Chipboard, 757 Disposable Palette) for archival and craft applications. The company also previously offered Denril Multi-Media Polypropylene Film, discontinued in 2021.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 10 Penny Sketch Economical sketch paper designed for traditional drawing media including graphite, colored pencil, and charcoal. Weight 60 lb. / 114 GSM, available in White in 100 sheet pads and 10 yard rolls.
• 35 Sun-Glo Sketch Lightweight, semi-transparent sketch paper in White, Tan (Autumn), and Yellow (Canary) for quick sketches and tracing with 4 sheet overlay capability. Weight 8 lb., available in 10 and 20 yard rolls.
• 840 Kraft Paper Rough and durable kraft paper in Natural Tan for craft projects and temporary artwork. Weight 60 lb. / 89 GSM, available in hardcover books, pads, and rolls.
• 116 Artist Drawing Bright white drawing paper with medium tooth texture for traditional drawing media (graphite, colored pencil, charcoal) with excellent erasability. Weight 90 lb. / 147 GSM, acid-free, positioned for Fine Art Rendering stage.
• 37 Boris Marker Paper Semi-transparent marker paper for alcohol and acrylic sketch work, hand lettering, and calligraphy, with guides visible through the sheet. Resists feathering and bleeding while keeping lines crisp and colors vibrant. Weight 13.5 lb. / 50 GSM, acid-free.
• 234 Paris Paper Smooth, hard surface paper for detailed pen-and-ink illustrations that resists feathering and is bleed-proof, with crisp lines and vibrant colors. Weight 108 lb. / 176 GSM, compatible with hard nibbed pens and fiber-tipped markers, acid-free.
• 120P Bristol Plate Sturdy 2-ply sheet with very smooth plate finish for pen and ink drawings. pH-neutral, usable with pencils, airbrush, silkscreening, and dry brush techniques; usable front and back.
• 120V Bristol Vellum Sturdy 2-ply sheet with smooth vellum finish, pH-neutral, for pen and ink drawings and a wide range of media from soft charcoal to light washes of watercolor and acrylics. Compatible with airbrush, silkscreening, and dry brush. Weight 100 lb. / 270 GSM.
• 30 Sign Writer's Bond Durable smooth white paper for large-scale color reproduction work and homemade posters, with bright lines that resist feathering. Weight 20 lb., acid-free, available in rolls up to 60 inches wide.
• 41 Light Tracing Paper Highly translucent tracing paper, nearly clear, for reproducing fine detail from reference images and withstanding repeated erasures without ghosting. Weight 25 lb. / 40 GSM, available in 50 and 100 sheet pads and 20 yard rolls.
• 51H Heavy Tracing Paper Heavy-weight tracing paper compatible with inkjet, copier, and laser printers for layouts, transfers, copies, and tracings. Extremely durable for sewing patterns and erases without ghosting. Weight 38 lb. / 57 GSM.
• 90 Vellum Durable vellum tracing paper for illustration and lettering, transparent so guides can be followed without lightboxes. Accepts light applications of wet media and works with pencil and pen. Weight 24 lb. / 90 GSM, acid-free.
• 110M Technical Vellum 100% cotton rag long fiber paper transparentized during manufacturing for exceptional dimensional stability and accuracy. Contains no fugitive oils or resins, is crack-resistant, durable, and archival. Used for archiving plans from pen, graphite, marker, photocopies, and laser prints. Weight 16 lb. / 60 GSM.
• 25G Glassine Semi-transparent natural white glassine paper used as protective interleaf between drawings, prints, and photos, resistant to air, water, and oily materials. Doubles as a release liner; adhesive tape is rendered removable. Weight 25 lb., available in 20 and 50 yard rolls. Made in the USA.
• Chipboard (CHI) Single-ply pH neutral chipboard in Tan with rough texture, used as mounting board, for hand-made book covers, and art projects. Compatible with graphite, colored pencil, charcoal, pen, and ink. Available in 25 sheet packs in sizes from 8.5x11 to 18x24.
• 757 Disposable Palette Lightweight, bleed-proof sheet for mixing oil, acrylic, watercolor, or casein paints; also usable as a palette for markers, with marker ink re-wetting when used with a blender. Weight 41 lb., smooth white, available in 12x9, 16x12, and 20x16 sizes in 50-sheet tape-bound pads.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Chartpak, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018In 2018, the Woodward family of Queens, NY passed stewardship of Borden & Riley to Chartpak, Inc. Borden & Riley became a brand of Chartpak, joining their family of art material brands. Chartpak maintains the standards set by the founders and continues US production in Leeds, Massachusetts facilities.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Borden & Riley Paper Co