8 Surprising Subscription Box Ideas

Papirmasse

Best for: Cash-strapped collectors

It’s like having your own affordable-art curator on retainer: Papirmasse mails out archival-quality prints of emerging artists’ work—paintings, illustrations, collages and more—with a piece of original, contemporary creative writing stamped on the reverse. The format changes from month to month: Past projects have ranged from a 5-by-7-inch booklet to an 18-by-24-inch poster.

Frequency and fees: $5 per month (annual subscriptions only); free shipping.

Pros: It's a two-for-one culture fix for the cost of a coffee.

Cons: You'll have to find the frames yourself.

To order: papirmasse.com.