HOW PAPER IS MADE

The pulp contains three main components (excluding water): Cellulose fibers (desired for papermaking), lignin (a three-dimensional polymer that binds the cellulose fibers together), and hemicelluloses, (shorter-branched carbohydrate polymers). The aim of pulping is to break down the bulk structure of the fiber source, into the constituent fibers. There are basically two main methods of pulping.

“Chemical” pulping removes the lignin and hemicellulose away from the cellulose fibers via a chemical process without weakening them. This process is more expensive as the resulting yield is 40-50% of the original wood but it allows the fibers to retain their strength. This will give you a more expensive “quality” paper.

“Mechanical” pulping physically tears the cellulose fibers one from another. Much of the lignin remains adhering to the fibers resulting in a yield greater than 95% of its original wood. However, the strength is impaired because the fibers are cut. This gives you a cheaper lower quality paper such as newspaper.

The paper mill refines the pulp and mixes in water with other additives to make a pulp slurry. This slurry is then filtered out onto a continuous fabric mesh conveyor belt to form a wet web of fiber.

This wet fiber then passes between large rollers loaded under high pressure to squeeze out as much water as possible.

The web of fiber then passes through a section of heated rollers which dries the pressed sheet and removes the water content to around 6%.

This web of dried paper then goes through a final process called “Calendering” which consists of heavy steel rollers that apply pressure and heat to the passing paper. This is used to make the paper surface extra smooth and glossy.

Paper isn’t just paper. There are many varieties of paper that are defined by numerous characteristics. Below are a few defining qualities. 

Uncoated paper does not have any coating of any kind, so ink absorbs into the sheets. It is most commonly used for letterheads, comps, etc. as it is easier to write on as well.

Coated paper is paper that has been coated by a compound to impart certain qualities to the paper, including weight, surface shine, smoothness, or reduced ink absorbency. There are many different kinds of coated paper to choose from.

Matte-coated paper is smooth to the touch and somewhat lustreless, with a sheen-less surface that does not reflect light.

Gloss-coated paper is also smooth to the touch but has a glossy, more light reflective surface than matte-coated paper.

Cast coated paper is often coated with clay or latex which affects the absorbency and appearance of the sheet. The coating is applied in different ways during or after the papermaking process. Cast-coated paper is created by pressing or ‘casting’ the still wet coated paper against a polished and hot metal drum. Some cast-coated papers can be so smooth and shiny that you can achieve an almost mirror-like reflection on the paper. The cast-coated paper also holds ink well to produce sharper and brighter images.

Satin-coated paper is quite similar to matte; however, it is slightly more reflective.

These stocks are textured, or slightly rough to the touch. They add dimension and an interesting aesthetic to the print. The types of textured coatings can include bubble coatings, sand texture, flocking, a felt-like touch, leather grain, and rubber touch. Again there is constant innovation in this area to “capture” people’s attention.

Recycled paper is paper that is either wholly or partly manufactured from recycled materials.

FSC stands for the Forest Stewardship Council, which is an international not-for-profit organization that was established in 1993 to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests. The FSC’s main objective is to set the standard for forestry management, have independent certification, and label forest products, in an effort to offer people around the globe the ability to choose products from an environmentally, as well as social, responsible, and maintainable forest.

There are many strict standards that must be met in order to be FSC certified or indeed to gain accreditation from the FSC. Basically, to have FSC-certified paper stocks means that the paper was sourced from a sustainable forest, and has had to adhere to these strict principles.

1. Compliance with all applicable laws and international treaties.
2. Demonstrated and uncontested, clearly defined, long–term land tenure and use rights.
3. Recognition and respect of indigenous people’s rights.
4. Maintenance or enhancement of long-term social and economic well-being of forest workers and local communities and respect of worker’s rights in compliance with International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions.
5. Equitable use and sharing of benefits derived from the forest.
6. Reduction of environmental impact of logging activities and maintenance of the ecological functions and integrity of the forest.
7. Appropriate and continuously updated management plan.
8. Appropriate monitoring and assessment activities to assess the condition of the forest, management activities, and their social and environmental impacts.
9. Maintenance of High Conservation Value Forests (HCVFs) are defined as forests containing environmental and social values that are considered to be of outstanding significance or critical importance.
10. In addition to compliance with all of the above, plantations must contribute to reducing the pressures on and promoting the restoration and conservation of natural forests.

There are many certificates associated with the FSC including Forest Management, Chain of Custody, and accreditation from an independent auditing operation (so as to maintain independence between the standards) run by a certification body, watched over by the FSC’s wholly owned and controlled subsidiary, AS1 (Accreditation Services International).

Paper sizes can be described in two ways: By their dimensions or with the International Paper Sizes (ISO). 

In printing we generally use the A Series of paper sizes based on these simple principles:

• The long side divided by the shorter side of all “A” sizes equals the square root of two (1.4142).
• Size A0 has an area of one square meter.
• Size A4 is A3 cut into two equal pieces. In other words, the height of A4 is the width of A3 and the width of A4 is half the height of A3. The same applies to the rest of the sizes in the A Series of Sizes.
• The standardized height and width of all of the paper formats is a rounded number of millimeters.

A Series Formats   B Series Formats   C Series Formats

A0: 841 × 1189         B0: 1000 × 1414      C0: 917 x 1297

A1: 594 × 841           B1: 707 x 1000         C1: 648 x 917

A2: 420 × 594           B2: 500 x 707           C2: 458 x 648

A3: 297 × 420           B3: 353 x 500           C3: 324 x 458

A4: 210 × 297           B4: 250 x 353           C4: 229 x 324

A5: 148 × 210           B5: 176 x 250           C5: 162 x 229

A6: 105 × 148           B6: 125 x 176           C6: 144 x 162

A7: 74 × 105             B7: 88 x 125             C7: 81 x 11