Already featured on every major modern design blog (along with Treehugger, naturally), Night Owl Paper Goods has quickly become a familiar name in stationary, thanks to their line of eco-friendly wooden postcards. Made from sustainably harvested wood, thinly sliced using very little power and no water, the collection features Night Owl’s unmistakably modern-with-a-touch-of-vintage graphics.

Started in 2004 by Alan Henderson and Jennifer Tatham, Night Owl Paper Goods was more of a side project to their respective professional design careers - until recently. The letterpress-created brand has become so popular that it is now a full-time job for the both of them. Though the sustainable postcard collection has garnered the most attention, it is by no means the full extent of their creations. Also available from Night Owl Paper Goods are: baby and moving announcements; holiday cards and photo mailers; birthday and correspondence cards; and everyday notecards.

With all the green hype around Night Owl, I couldn’t resist the urge to chat with them. Thankfully, Jennifer was nice enough to spare some time from her letterpress-filled schedule to answer a few of my questions. Read on to find out more about Night Owl Paper Goods’ future eco-plans, where their name comes from, how they have become so successful, and what wood goods are coming out next.

How has all this promotion affected your sales and production?

Jennifer Tatham: Blogs are fabulous! Internet “word of mouth” is actually helping to drive our company & products! It’s quite fun, as well as inspiring to see what people like, want, and respond to. We’re so busy that I recently stepped away from my full-time design job to work full-time for Night Owl Paper Goods - we’re giving it a big GO!

Do you have plans to transform the rest of your collection into sustainable wares (using recycled paper, soy inks … etc.)?

Jennifer: The answer is yes, but it’s not that plain & simple. We’re determining what type of recycled content is best for our company. It’s very important for us to know where all of the content of a paper comes from. We will continue to be informed about the pros & cons of soy inks.

All of the Night Owl goods are produced using a classic letterpress - what about this printing method makes you prefer it over others (such as screen printing)?

Jennifer: Most, but not all, of the Night Owl Paper Goods line is printed using our Heidelberg windmill letterpress. Both Alan & I love the texture & refinement that it brings to our work.

From sheer curiosity, I must ask - why owls?

Jennifer: Alan & I have both been working full-time jobs over the past 4 years while getting our company up and running - two night owls working with paper goods in the wee twilight hours. The name lent itself to a good logo; we had two other names before Night Owl Paper Goods, neither of which inspired a logo.

In a culture obsessed with saving time and instant communication, how do you still manage to run a successful business based on hand-written notes?

Jennifer: Wonderful store owners, savvy buyers, super reps, Great PR, plus whoOoOoooo doesn’t like receiving letters in the mail? The mailbox is such a lovely invention.

Do you have any other nifty, secret projects in the works that you could hint at?

Jennifer: Certainly! Glad you asked: Night Owl Paper Goods has a NEW 2008 wooden calendar that will debut on [our website in] mid-October.

[All images courtesy of Night Owl Paper Goods]