Crane

Dalton, Massachusetts, 1801: that is where Crane began making paper from cotton, and cotton paper is still the basis of its stationery.

About Crane

Based in
Western Massachusetts
Founded
1801
Known for
cotton paper stationery

Zenas Crane, Henry Wiswall and John Willard founded the company in Dalton, Massachusetts, in 1801. That same year Crane began making cotton paper for banknotes for local and regional banks, and cotton paper has stayed at the center of the name ever since.

The stationery business was separated from the currency paper business in a 2015 management buyout, and in 2018 Crane Stationery was bought by Mohawk Fine Papers, a family-owned paper company based in Cohoes, New York. The stationery is made in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts.

A box of cotton-paper notes in the desk drawer covers thank-yous and short letters. A handwritten note on cotton paper is the kind people tuck away instead of throwing out.

Crane questions

What is cotton paper?

Crane stationery is made from cotton paper, the kind Crane began making for banknotes in 1801. Instead of wood pulp, cotton paper is made from cotton fibers, today mostly linters, the short fibers left on cotton seeds after processing. It is acid-free, so good cotton paper can last hundreds of years without yellowing or crumbling, and its porous fibers absorb ink well.

Is Crane stationery the same company that makes paper for money?

Not anymore. The two were one company from 1801 until 2015, when the stationery business was split off in a management buyout. Mohawk Fine Papers, a family-owned paper maker in Cohoes, New York, bought Crane Stationery in 2018. The currency side, Crane Currency, is a separate company that makes banknote paper and anti-counterfeiting security features for central banks.

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