NEW YORK, New York, Aug. 26, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Uglybooks, the independent paper goods brand founded by designer Jon Contino with co-founders Erin Contino and Andreas Vavaroutsos, today announced two new product lines: Uglysheets, a range of large-format colored art paper, and Uglypads, curated multi-color sketching pads. The releases represent the brand’s most significant expansion since the debut of its signature-colored notebooks, which built a following among artists, designers, and paper enthusiasts for their richly pigmented, heavyweight pages.
Uglysheets arrive in two sizes – 9″ x 12″ and 19″ x 25″ – and two paper weights, 175gsm and 350gsm. The lighter weight is designed for drawing, sketching, and printmaking, while the 350gsm cover stock supports poster work, signage, bookbinding, packaging mockups, and three-dimensional paper craft. The two-tier format gives artists a versatile drawing sheet alongside a substantial stock built for heavier media, presentation work, and structural applications.
Uglypads bring the same-colored paper approach to a portable format. Each pad measures 9″ x 12″ and contains 25 sheets of 175gsm paper – five sheets each of five curated colors. Four colorways are available at launch: Juicebox, Serenity, Frostbite, and Farmer.
Like the original Uglybooks notebooks, every Uglysheet and Uglypad is acid-free and lignin-free, archival quality, and made in the USA. Each sheet is dyed through, so color runs consistently across both sides and throughout the sheet, eliminating the white core found in standard colored cardstock.
“We made Uglybooks because we were tired of being precious with our notebooks,” said Jon Contino, co-founder of Uglybooks. “Uglysheets and Uglypads are the natural next step. Artists kept asking us for the same paper in bigger formats – something they could really work on, tear up, paint over, collage, screen print on, or frame. Uglypads give them a curated set of colors to work through. Uglysheets let them go big.”
The new lines are aimed at working illustrators, gallery artists, designers, screen printers, and creative professionals who treat colored paper as a primary material rather than a backdrop.
“What we love about colored paper is that it forces you to think differently from the first mark,” said Erin Contino, co-founder of Uglybooks. “You’re not staring at a blank white void – you’re already in conversation with the page. Uglypads make that experience portable. Uglysheets give artists that same starting point at a scale that lets them really work.”
Uglysheets and Uglypads launch alongside the existing Uglybooks notebook lineup at uglybooks.co and through the brand’s roster of independent retail partners, art-supply stores, and museum shops. The launches reflect a broader shift among independent paper brands toward higher-quality, design-forward art supplies sourced and manufactured domestically. Uglybooks has built its reputation on a deliberately limited product range, prioritizing material quality, color craft, and a defined point of view over volume.
Uglysheets and Uglypads are available now at uglybooks.co. Wholesale, bulk, and trade inquiries are welcomed.
About Uglybooks
Uglybooks is an independent paper goods brand based in New York City, founded by designer Jon Contino along with Erin Contino and Andreas Vavaroutsos. The brand specializes in heavyweight colored paper products, including its signature colored sketchbooks, the new Uglypads multi-color pads, and the new Uglysheets line of large-format colored art paper. Every Uglybooks product is acid-free and lignin-free, archival quality, and made in the USA. Products are available at uglybooks.co and through select independent retailers.
Media Contact: Name: Uglybooks Email: andreas@uglybooks.co Website: uglybooks.co
