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GPSR requirements for stationery and paper goods sold to the EU

By Karim El Achaq, founder of EUReady · Last updated: 6 July 2026

Key facts

Since 13 December 2024, notebooks, prints, stickers and pens sold to EU consumers need the same GPSR listing information as any other product.
For most paper goods the requirements are light: who you are, where you can be reached, and an EU responsible person for non-EU brands.
The trap is child-appealing stationery (food-shaped erasers, novelty pens with charms), which authorities can treat as toys, triggering CE and EN 71.
REACH applies to inks and coatings; digital downloads are out of scope.

Stationery feels like the safest category imaginable, and that is why almost no stationery brand selling into the EU displays any compliance information. But GPSR does not have a low-risk exemption: since 13 December 2024, notebooks, prints, stickers and pens sold to EU consumers need the same listing information as any other product.

The good news: for most paper goods the requirements are light. The trap: child-appealing stationery, which authorities can treat as a toy.

What every stationery and paper goods listing must show under GPSR

Since 13 December 2024, the General Product Safety Regulation (EU) 2023/988 sets rules for products sold online to EU consumers. Article 19 is the part that hits your product pages directly: every online listing must display, before purchase, the following information.

Manufacturer identity: the name (or trade name) of the manufacturer, a postal address and an electronic address (email). If you make the products yourself under your own brand, that is you.
EU responsible person: if the manufacturer is not established in the EU, the name and contact details of the responsible economic operator located inside the EU.
Product identification: enough information to identify the product, such as a picture, the product type and any batch or serial reference.
Warnings and safety information: in a language easily understood by consumers of the country you sell to, not only in English.

The same information also has to travel with the physical product (on the item, its packaging or an accompanying document), so your labels and your Shopify pages need to match.

What rules apply to stationery?

Stationery mostly needs the standard GPSR listing information, with two extra watch-points: child-appealing items that become toys, and REACH limits on inks. The full picture:

GPSR listing information: manufacturer identity with postal and electronic address, EU responsible person for non-EU brands, product identification, and any relevant warnings.
Child-appealing items: erasers shaped like food, novelty pens with charms, sticker sets marketed to children: these can be treated as toys, triggering CE marking and EN 71. Food-imitating products face their own restrictions because children may put them in their mouths.
Inks and coatings: REACH restrictions apply to what is in your pens, markers and printed goods; supplier documentation is your evidence.
Small parts: charms, clips and magnetic bookmarks warrant a small-parts warning if children can access them.

What does compliance look like in practice?

For a typical notebook or art print, compliance is mostly about showing who you are and where you can be reached, plus an EU responsible person if you are outside the EU. It is the cheapest category to make compliant, which also makes non-compliance hard to justify to an authority.

Do not forget the packaging: EPR applies too

GPSR covers the product. The box, mailer, tape and filler you ship it in fall under a different set of rules: Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging. If you ship stationery and paper goods to consumers in Germany you must be registered in the LUCID packaging register before your first sale, and in France you need a unique identifier via an eco-organisation such as Citeo (see our France EPR guide). Marketplaces already verify these numbers and block sellers who do not have them.

How to make your Shopify store compliant, step by step

List what you sell to the EU. GPSR applies to new, used, repaired and handmade stationery and paper goods alike. There is no minimum volume: one parcel to an EU customer is enough to be in scope.
Gather the manufacturer information. Your business name, postal address and email if you are the maker; your supplier's details if you resell.
Appoint an EU responsible person if you are outside the EU. Authorised representative services exist from roughly 150 to 500 euros per year. Their details go on your listings and labels. Our responsible person guide explains the options.
Write the warnings and safety information relevant to your products, and translate them for the markets you sell to.
Add all of it to every product page. On Shopify this is usually done with metafields plus a theme block, so the information displays cleanly on each listing.
Sort out packaging EPR for Germany and France if you ship there.

Doing this by hand across a full catalog is where most sellers give up: it is repetitive, error-prone and easy to leave half-finished. That is the exact problem EUReady automates: scan, see what is missing per product, fix it across the catalog in one click.

Check your store for free

EUReady scans every product in your Shopify store, shows you exactly what GPSR and EPR info is missing, and fills it in for you. Join the free beta and be first in line when we launch on the Shopify App Store.

No credit card. Founding members lock in 50% off for life.

Frequently asked questions

Do art prints really need GPSR information?

Yes. A print is a consumer product; the listing needs the manufacturer and responsible person information. The warnings section will usually be empty or minimal, and that is fine.

When does stationery become a toy?

When its shape, marketing or packaging gives it play value for children under 14. A pen is stationery; a pen topped with a plush character marketed to kids is likely a toy. If in doubt, check the EU toy guidance or keep the design clearly adult.

I sell digital downloads too. Are they in scope?

No. GPSR targets physical products. Your digital planner PDFs are out of scope; the printed version you ship is in scope.

Official sources

This guide is general information for online sellers, based on publicly available EU legislation. It is not legal advice. Regulations evolve and national rules differ: for decisions that matter to your business, confirm with a qualified professional or the official sources linked above.