Paper

Paper remains a major substrate for printed communication. Paper is a noble, sustainable, recyclable, strong and durable material.

Paper consumption is not synonymous with forest destruction (Extract from the manifesto published by the Association "Culture Papier").

70% of virgin fiber used to make paper pulp come from logs generated by thinning operations which are necessary to ensure forest growth.

The paper industry is a major player contributing to forest maintenance and development. The European forest grows every year by 660,000 hectares. The forest in France has expanded by nearly 500,000 hectares in the last ten years (source: ADEME and AFDPE).

Paper and prints have essential cultural, social and democratic missions and are complementary to digital tools.
 
 

Definitions (source www.imprimeur.com)

Paper is a material made of plant fibers which are reduced to pulp and spread in thin layers, then dried. The various types of paper are classified according to their use, their grammage and, for some of them, their size. There are four major categories of paper based on how it is used:

1. - Papers for graphic use include newsprint paper and printing and writing papers.
2. - Packaging and wrapping papers and cardboards include wrapping and packaging papers, flat cardboard and corrugated paper.
3. - Papers for sanitary and domestic use include cellulose wadding, crêpe paper, and other non specific papers.
4. - Industrial and special purpose papers include security papers and papers for various use.

Paper grammage

Papers are defined according to their weight per square metre, or grammage. This weight varies from 28g (bible paper) to 200g. Papers with a weight over 225g are called cardboard.

Paper sizes
Paper comes out at the end of the production chain in the form of a continuous web wound on a large reel, the mother reel, which will be slit into daughter reels. These will be either directly used by some converters (carton makers...) or by continuous printers, or they will be converted to paper sheets of various sizes.

Today sheet paper sizes comply with an international standard, and range from A0 (841x1119 mm) to A10 (26x37 mm), A4 (210x297 mm) being the most commonly used size.

By Patrick CAHUET,  market expert and GRAPHITEC consultant