About Us
Exaclair B2B is a a great resource for French products. We stock products from Brause, Clairefontaine, Decopatch, Exacompta, G.Lalo, Jacques Herbin, Rhodia, Stillman & Birn and Quo Vadis.
Please note: We only ship to locations in the United States or its territories.
CLAIREFONTAINE
Clairefontaine is famous for its exceptionally white and ultra smooth paper.
The Clairefontaine mill has been making paper since 1858 and stationery products since 1890. The company is best known for making the first school notebooks in France. Clairefontaine is currently the only European manufacturer making its own papers for its own products. Clairefontaine Notebooks feature a perfect satin finish for maximum smoothness in writing with fountain pen friendly 90g paper. A gift of nature, calcium carbonate gives Clairefontaine paper its trademark ultra smoothness and makes it extra white.
CLAIREFONTAINE FINE ART
Clairefontaine masters the art of papermaking thank to its four production sites in Europe, among which three are based in France and one in the Netherlands, the legendary Schut mill. This small factory manufactures some of the most sophisticated high-quality papers that make all the difference.
Schut mill was one of the very first Holland mills to produce art papers, those which even Rembrandt used. Dating from 1618, the Schut mill celebrated 400 years of existence!
Clairefontaine has become the primary reference in the Fine Art paper market, offering the widest range of products for everyone from schools to professionals.
RHODIA
Rhodia is known for high quality, exacting standards and timeless design. It is closely associated with creativity and innovation coupled with tradition.
These economical pads are a favorite of artists & designers, writers, notebook fans and people who like to use graph paper for notes, sketching and hand drafting. People love them for their grids, smooth paper & iconic cover.
Rhodia originated as part of a family business known as Verilhac Brothers, Paper-Maker. Clairefontaine (also a multi-generational family business) acquired Rhodia in 1997. After the acquisition, some Rhodia family members stayed on with the brand.
Didier Verilhac, a descendant of one of the founders and a current employee of Rhodia, described Rhodia's origin: "Around 1880, Samuel and Jean-Abel Verilhac lived in Lyon and were wholesale merchants for printing paper. At that time there was no direct distribution system between the manufacturer and the printers. The company sold its product in the south of France as well as the French colonies of North Africa."
"Jean-Abel had three sons; the oldest son died in World War II, the second and third sons created the company Verilhac Brothers, Paper-Maker in 1932 in Lyon. They started with 50 workers manufacturing various paper products. One brother had studied engineering, the other was very good in marketing. Together, they made a powerful duo. In 1934 they purchased an abandoned arms manufacturing plant and moved production from Lyon to Grenoble."
"The first Rhodia pad was made in 1934 in Lyon. In Lyon there is the Rhône river. People born in this region are called Rhodaniens. The name came from there. The two trees in the logo represent the two brothers, these trees are epiceas (spruce). If you take a look at them, these trees are not identical. They are linked by a line to show that the brothers work together. The brand and the logo were designed by Marie-Antonia, the wife of one of the Verilhac brothers." The family story goes that Marie-Antonia drew the logo sitting at the kitchen table.
In 1934 the company moved from Lyon to Sechilienne near Grenoble in the French alps. The company was purchased by Clairefontaine in 1997 and production transferred to Mulhouse, in Alsace, France. Rhodia pads are manufactured exclusively on Machine No.6.
The Rhodia Notebook, originally a sideline for Rhodia, was to become its most famous product. It immediately overshadowed other notebooks of the time because of its quality materials and original design of a scored front cover.
The orange cover dates back to the 1934. It remains unchanged to this day.
EXACOMPTA
Exacompta is well known in France for its quality agendas and organizational products.
Exacompta products follow a French philosophy that even simple tools should be good quality and a pleasure to use.
Exacompta – Exact Accounting - was founded in Paris in 1928 as a printing and binding works to produce ledgers. At a time when accounting was done by hand, exacompta manufactured ledgers of exceptional quality. The books were finely bound, with thick mint or ivory paper and crisp, clear print. Today, Exacompta products are still known for their consistent quality.
Jacques HERBIN
Jacques Herbin was established in 1670, when Louis XIV, the Sun King, was 32 years old.
- Herbin was a sailor, and from his many journeys to India he brought back to Paris formulas for manufacturing sealing wax. His special lacquer formula improved the quality of the seals in adhesion and neatness, helping him to become famous throughout the kingdom.
Jacques Herbin is also the oldest name in ink production in the world.
By 1700, the company was producing “l’Encre de la Tete Noire,” followed by“Perle des Encres,” (The Jewel of Inks) and “l’Encre des Vaisseaux” (The Ink of Ships).
Jacques Herbin made ink for Louis XIV, and a black ink for the sole use of Victor Hugo, author of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Les Miserables. These formulas still reside in our company headquarters in Paris.
BRAUSE
Brause manufactures steel nibs for writing, drawing and decorating. Brause nibs can be found in the toolbox of many calligraphers, artists, penmen and illustrators.
Brause was founded in 1850 in Iserlohn, Germany, a region famous for the quality of its steel and the skill of its craftsmen.
The founders, Carl and Friedrich Wilhelm Brause, and Carl Bergfeld, showed unusual concern for the well being of their employees, providing them with a company medical plan that existed right up to 1986.
Brause initially specialized in manufacturing needles. In 1895, production expanded to bicycle wheel spokes and pen nibs. Up until then, England was the main center of production, but Brause was able to acquire and master the precision required to mass produce pen nibs.
The market penetration of Brause nibs was facilitated by publicity slogans such as “Die beste Feder, lieber Sohn, sind die von Brause Iserlohn.” (“The best nibs, dear son, are by Brause Iserlohn.”)
Since then, Brause has been crafting a complete set of nibs considered to be one of the best on the market by calligraphers. With over 100 years of manufacturing experience, Brause is one of the rare companies to guarantee an essential quality for its nibs: a subtle balance between relative elasticity for easier writing, and necessary resistance for clear strokes.
STILLMAN & BIRN
Stillman & Birn has been associated with the art materials industry in the United States for decades. The original company was founded in 1958 by Philip Birn (1911 – 2004), a highly admired Viennese bookbinder who brought his "old world" craftsmanship to a small plant in the SoHo section of Manhattan. From his plant at 270 Lafayette Street, Philip Birn pioneered the concept of the black hardbound sketchbook.
In 1998, Clairefontaine Rhodia acquired the Schut mill as a subsidiary of Exacompta Clairefontaine. Centuries after serving as Rembrandt’s supplier, the Schut mill now works with Clairefontaine to continue to be at the forefront of papermaking, sourcing their raw materials from sustainably managed forests, generating renewable energy, and reusing organic fibers – all while preserving the quality and care that has made them a favorite among artists and students for almost half a millennium.
Exaclair’s management team follows its founder's commitment to uncompromising quality and to developing new sketchbooks that adapt to the changing needs of artists. It’s a natural fit for Clairefontaine to add Stillman & Birn to its fine art lines.
Because of the robust quality of our papers, we believe that our sketchbooks inspire creativity: artists can feel confident to experiment with new ideas and materials because our papers support the most demanding techniques on paper.
Stillman & Birn products are proudly made in the USA and shipped from our manufacturing facility in Hamburg, NY. Because we are one of the few fine art companies that are vertically integrated, controlling the entire production cycle from manufacture of our papers through to the binding process, we are not only able to guarantee consistent quality, but also to minimize environmental impact.
G LALO
- Lalo, the Parisian social stationery manufacturer since 1919, became throughout the years the stationery of reference both in Paris’ high society and in the royal courts of Europe such as Sweden, Holland, Monaco and Belgium.
Today, G. Lalo continues its tradition of handcrafted quality and elegance but expressed with the colors and excitement of the 21st century.
Luxurious G. Lalo stationery is the perfect canvas for expressing your sentiments in a memorable way.
DECOPATCH
Decopatch: Decoupage Papers, Kits and Supplies
Decopatch marries the fashion flair of French textile designs to high quality decoupage paper. The paper is ultra thin, super strong and flexible, so it can be applied seamlessly to any shape or surface.
QUO VADIS
Quo Vadis makes tools for creative minds. Quo Vadis planners and notebooks are for people who like to write on paper and appreciate the feel of a well -made product.
They are professionals at planner design and construction. For over 50 years Quo Vadis has helped people organize their time and keep track of what matters to them. Quo Vadis layouts are easy to read with plenty of room to jot interesting ideas and keep important notes.
A planner is a serious tool. People put a lot of time and feeling into selecting the one that is just right for them. Quo Vadis offers a variety of formats to meet a person’s needs at different stages of their life.