About Bethge

Bethge was founded in Hamburg in 1977 by Waltraud Bethge. A pioneer of paper and writing culture, Waltraud Bethge opened a design studio with Peter Schmidt in 1967. After eight years, Bethge and Schmidt parted ways, and Bethge continued to run the silkscreen printing studio of Peter Schmidt Studios, which they founded together in 1972, under her own management. Screen printing was the nucleus of Bethge and remains one of the company's special features today.

We remain deeply inspired by the ideas and philosophy of Waltraud Bethge. Her creativity and her keen eye for the new and extraordinary continue to guide and motivate us today.

Our Process

1- Preparing the Sieve

The sieve is coated, oven-dried, and the film is attached. The frame is then vacuum-sealed, and the coating hardened under UV light. After developing and another round of drying, the stencil is refined by hand before one final bake in the oven.

2- Setting up for Printing

A fine paper is chosen and cut to size, ready to meet the design. The hand-printing table is set, and a vibrant color is chosen and mixed.

3- Printing and Finishing

The paint is drawn across the screen, revealing the design in color. The prints dry naturally, then are given grooves and trimmed. Finally, each card is gathered and packed by hand.