What is Lokta Paper? Everything Crafters Need to Know

If you've come across lokta paper in a craft shop or online and wondered what exactly it is and why it feels so different from anything else — this is for you.

Lokta paper is a handmade paper produced in Nepal from the bark of wild Daphne shrubs — Daphne Cannabina and Daphne Papyracea — that grow at high altitudes in the Himalayan forests, generally between 6,500 and 9,500 feet. It has been made in Nepal for over a thousand years and is one of the world's oldest continuously produced papers.

We source ours directly from the paper-making communities in Nepal and oversee the process of our paper being made from start to finish as we are based in Kathmandu, Nepal. Here's all you need to know about it.

The process is almost entirely unchanged from how it was done centuries ago, which is part of what makes it remarkable.

The bark of the Daphne bush is harvested by hand — the plant is cut above the roots so it can regenerate naturally, which it does every six to seven years. This isn't a sustainability marketing claim; it's simply how the plant works, and how these mountain communities have managed it for generations without depleting it.

The bark is carried down from the high forests to the villages below, where it's cleaned and boiled twice in large cauldrons — sometimes outdoors over a wood fire. The boiled bark is then beaten with wooden mallets until it becomes a soft pulp. This pulp is poured over wooden frames floating in water, spread evenly by hand, and left to dry in the Himalayan sunshine. When the paper peels off the frame, it's done.

No bleach. No chemicals. No machinery. The paper is naturally acid-free because of the long fibres in the Daphne bark, which is also why it's so durable. This natural form of lokta paper you can buy here.

Most of our printed and coloured lokta paper is dyed using acrylic water based dyes, which is standard across the paper making industry in Nepal, this is what gives the vivid, consistent colours you see across our range. We also stock a selection of vegetable-dyed lokta for those who want a fully natural option — the colours are softer and more natural in tone, as you'd expect. Find the bundle here.

 

The difference is immediately obvious when you hold it. Lokta has a texture that machine-made paper simply doesn't — slightly rough, slightly translucent, with a natural variation in thickness across each sheet. 

Because the fibres are long and interlocked, it doesn't tear the way wood-pulp paper does. It's resistant to humidity and insects — historically it was used for Buddhist manuscripts and Nepali government documents precisely because it lasted centuries. The oldest surviving lokta documents are over 900 years old.

It takes ink, watercolour, and dye beautifully. It folds cleanly. It wraps well. And because it comes from a wild shrub rather than cultivated forest, no trees are felled to make it.

 

 

•        Bookbinding — lokta is ideal for covering books, lining spines, and making endpapers. Its strength and flexibility make it one of the most popular papers in hand bookbinding.

•        Gift wrapping — it wraps beautifully and feels luxurious in a way that tissue paper doesn't. Our printed lokta bundles are made specifically for this.

•        Collage and mixed media — the texture adds depth to artwork in a way that flat paper can't. It takes paint, glue, and printing well.

•        Decoupage — the translucency of thinner sheets makes it particularly effective for decoupage work.

•        Calligraphy and printing — the surface accepts both pen and ink printing without bleeding, especially at higher weights (80GSM+).

•        Card making and scrapbooking — used as a decorative element or background, particularly the printed and patterned varieties.

•        Eco-friendly packaging — used by jewellers, soap makers, and small businesses as sustainable wrapping that looks handmade because it is.

 

 

Lokta paper comes in different weights measured in GSM (grams per square metre), just like regular paper. At Heaven Hemp we stock:

•        10–20GSM — tissue weight, semi-transparent, ideal for wrapping and layering

•        60–80GSM — the most versatile weight, good for most craft applications including bookbinding and gift wrap

•        100GSM+ — heavier weight for writing, calligraphy, and more structural applications (this is our nettle paper, featured in this bundle and this one)

We also stock plain (undyed), silk screen printed, block printed, and textured lokta with embedded petals and fibres — each with different qualities for different uses.

 

Absolutely - in it's natural state or dyed with veggie dyes, yes, however when it is dyed with non veggie dyes, it adds a thin coating of plastic/polymer which slows down the degrading process. 

The Daphne shrub is a wild plant that grows without cultivation across Nepal's Himalayan forests. Harvesting it correctly — cutting above the root — allows it to regenerate fully within six to seven years. The communities who make lokta paper have managed this resource for over a millennium without exhausting it, because it's in their interest to do so.

The paper-making process itself uses no chemicals and consumes no significant industrial energy. The main inputs are water, fire, human labour, and sunshine.

The trade supports mountain communities in Nepal who have fewer economic opportunities than people in Nepal's cities. 

If you're new to lokta and want to try it without committing to a large order, our lokta paper bundles are the best starting point. Each bundle contains a selection of sheets in different colours or prints — enough to get a feel for how the paper works across different applications.

 

With love from Nepal — the Heaven Hemp team