About Us

It all started when Antya Waegemann and Michael Mullen met in Berlin, Germany in May of 2010 on vacation (Antya after graduating from NYU, Michael on leave from his deployment in Afghanistan).

Together they moved to Austin,TX in 2011 after Michael finished his contract with the army, where he had taught himself Catalan, while Antya had interned at the Smithsonian in DC and learned lots of cool stuff about various marine species. These two passions came together in Austin when Michael and Antya began Balena Prints © 2012: ‘Balena’ means ‘whale’ in Catalan. And so, Balena Prints’ aesthetic and scientific meaning go hand-in-hand to inspire the designs and prints of each card, which is completely unique and hand-crafted.

Balena Prints makes all greeting cards from 100% recycled paper and with images and messages inspired from scientific illustrations and publications. Our vision is that all cards are authentic and whimsical, but that they are also true to nature.

Michael and Antya currently live in Boston, MA where they are fostering Balena Prints while also working full time (Antya as a Curatorial Assistant at Harvard’s Herbaria and Michael as a Cognitive Psychology Researcher).