Die-cut images are still important to Paper House, even figuring into the puzzles that the company produces, which not only have die-cut edges adding to the challenge of putting them together, but also have small die-cut pieces inside the puzzle relating to the primary image. A puzzle depicting a pair of lovebirds has die-cut heart shapes hidden within and a die-cut baseball glove has baseball bat- and diamond-shaped pieces.
The company employs about 30 people locally at its Malden Turnpike offices in Saugerties. Ardila is one of only two in the company who live out of state, she says, with most living in Saugerties or nearby areas, including company president Don Guidi. “It’s a good pool of talent from the area, with four designers, production people, finance, accounting, warehouse and operations there. They’re the ones really making it happen. The company is proud to do 85 percent of its manufacturing in the US, Ardila says, with only 15 percent done overseas.
Paper House Productions founder Jeffrey Milstein has shown his photography widely since selling the company in 2000. In November of 2011, the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC exhibited Milstein’s “AirCraft: The Jet as Art,” featuring 33 super-sized, high-resolution images of aircraft presented in his trademark style of pristine clarity of image.
Paper House Productions’ cards, magnets, notebooks and puzzles are available at national and local retailers, such as Manny’s in downtown New Paltz; (845) 246-7261, www.paperhouseproductions.com.