I'm a big fan of German crepe paper for lots of reasons and it's about time I talked about the pros and cons of each. I'm focusing on the heavier weights here - 160g to 180g and basically comparing florist crepe paper from Werola versus Cartotecnica Rossi 180g paper.
Roller Marks
The manufacturing process seems to cause the roller marks to be very distinctive on the Italian paper and is less visible on the German florist crepe - some paper florists don't like to have these marks visible but it really depends on what type of flower you are making and the size of flower you are creating. You can avoid these marks being noticable based on how you cut your petal, and how to stretch and shape the petal.
Colour Bleeding
When you start working with crepe paper you will typically use a PVA glue. The Italian 180g crepe paper is prone to the colour running, whereas the German florist crepe paper is "non-bleeding".
Some Italian colours are more colour fast than others - I've used the Fandango Fuchsia and been left with very pinky-purple fingers! On the positive side if you're using crepe paper to dye your hair (yes, it's a thing!) use Italian crepe paper, and not German!
As an indication of the difference between how colourfast German florist crepe is compared to Italian crepe paper, I experimented when making variegated leaves. To create the variegated effect I carefully applied bleach using a paint brush to the edge of the leaves. For the leaves made from Italian crepe paper it's very effective as seen in the image below. The other leaf in the photo was made from German florist crepe in dark green, and the bleach has made no difference!
When it comes to making flowers for a wedding, I definitely prefer to use German florist crepe where possible. I'd hate to think that a wedding dress gets ruined because the colour runs from the bridal bouquet, but there are ways to minimise that risk.
Fading
Under direct sunlight colours can fade. Werola have produced florist crepe paper which has a high UW resistance, so it doesn't fade quickly. I've found that the most German florist crepe paper barely fades over time, although the lilac and rose colours can fade slightly.
BTW - the some of the colours of the doublette paper are prone to fading very quickly.
Italian crepe paper does fade more over time. However, there are instances where the natural fading of paper creates an almost natural effect and creates interest, but for some customers I know that they want their flowers to last for years and retention of the original colour of the flowers is important.
Colour range
Italian heavy weight paper comes in a very large range of colours, whereas the German paper has a limited range. On the positive side for Italian crepe this means you can usually find a very close match if you need a specific colour; on the downside it sometimes means you'll end up buying lots of different colours because you can't quite decide what you need!
Although the German crepe paper colours are more limited, it is a very complimentary colour palette.
Adding colour
When it comes to getting the colour you want there is always the option of adding colour to the paper with watercolours, acrylic paints, PanPastels, alcohol inks or whatever is your preferred medium. Personally I've not found any real difference between the papers, other than trying to remove colour (with bleach).
Italian 180g Crepe Paper
Pros | Cons |
Very wide range of colours | Not colour fast |
Easy to dye and bleach | Visible roller marks |
Good for dying hair | Prone to fading |
German Florist Crepe Paper
Pros | Cons |
Minimal roller marks | Limited colour range |
Non-bleeding | Doesn't bleach! |
High UV resistance | |
Personally I prefer the German crepe paper, its lovely to work with and "softer" than the Italian 180g crepe paper, but each paper florist will have their preference!