Being a part of the paper industry, what are your desires apart from being a successful manufacturer?
There are two types of businessmen –
1. Who work hard to earn money and make their company huge
2. Who work hard because they are in love with what they are doing
Both of the above people are equally important to make an industry successful since both of them have the required abilities to achieve everything that your company needs.
We are going to put forth some basic but crucial facts that you should know about paper. These points are very important to know for everyone related to the paper industry.
Grades of paper
Like several other things, the paper is also divided into grades based on its quality, weight, color, texture, style, finishing, use, etc.
- Paper needed for making books are surface-sized and are made for efficient water and ink use and offset printing. Books are generally made from kraft pulp sometimes added with machine pulp.
- Some are text papers that are used for making advertising leaflets, pamphlets, endpapers, etc.
- The other category is cover papers that are used for heavier paper purposes like journals, paperback books, greeting cards, wedding cards, etc. These cover papers are made with machine pulp usually mixed with chemical pulp.
- Newsprint papers used for the items that would be read probably once and thrown away like newspapers, low-cost catalogs, paperbacks, etc.
- Bond papers are mainly used for official works. These papers are made with high-quality fibers and posses higher grades.
Weights of different types of papers
Paper comes in different weights and thicknesses. The thickness of paper sheets is measured in inches (mils). The pages are calculated per inch onto the sheet rolls. The weight of paper is measured in pounds. Each grade of paper lies between a certain weight range. The standard quantity of measuring is sheet per square meter.
Grades of paper with their average weights –
- Bond paper: 16 to 36 pounds
- Book paper: 30 to 115 pounds
- Cover paper: 60 to 120 pounds
- Index paper: 90 to 140 pounds
- Tag paper: 50 to 100 pounds
- Text paper: 50 to 100 pounds
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GSM of the paper
GSM is an important term often used to describe the paper specifications. GSM stands for grams per square meter. GSM is a unit of measuring the weight. The total weight(in grams) of 1 sheet of paper (say 1m x 1m) is equal to the GSM value of that paper.
In other words, GSM refers to the weight of a 1m square sheet of paper in grams.
Please note that the GSM doesn't have anything to do with the thickness of the paper. Two papers with different thickness can have the same GSM value.
For example, take a 100 GSM silk paper and 100 GSM print paper. Both the papers are 100 GSM and both will weigh the same. However, the sheets differ in quantity because silk paper is more compact and thinner than the print paper.
GSM for different types of paper –
- Letterheads & Printing Papers: 90 – 120 GSM
- Posters & Flyer Printing: 120 – 170 GSM
- Flyers & Invitations: 170 – 300 GSM
- Business Cards & Greeting Cards: 300 – 400 GSM
Luxury wedding cards and other fancy cards: 400 – 700 GSM
Moisture Of Paper
All grades of paper have some percentage of moisture present in them that binds the cellulose fibers together.
The moisture varies from 2 to 12% depending on the relative humidity,
the degree of refining, and the chemicals used in the formation of the pulp.
The water present in the pulp has the effect of plasticizing the cellulose fibers and weakens the inter-fiber bonding.
Therefore, the moisture is kept as low as possible in the paper.
The amount of water is very important in the process of calendaring, printing, and converting. It is very important to control the moisture considering the economic aspect of papermaking.
Poor moisture control has adverse effects on the paper quality.
Moisture control is a very sensitive part of the papermaking process.
About 1% change in the moisture changes the other properties like strength, density, bulkiness, etc.
Smoothness Of Paper
Smoothness is the calculated surface contour of the paper.
It is the flatness of the surface depending on some conditions like roughness, levelness, and compressibility.
The smoothness property of the paper is very important when it comes to writing and printing papers. It affects the friction of the pen/pencil on the paper.
Smoothness also affects the contour and appearance of the paper.
The smooth paper provides a good eye appeal as compared to the rough texture papers.
However, when it comes to paper bags or packaging paper, it is essential to maintain the roughness to avoid the sliding of the papers from surfaces.
Temperature and Humidity Of Paper
Temperature and humidity are important for proper conditioning of the paper. Proper conditioning of paper plays an important role in many printing and converting operations.
The temperature and humidity of the paper also build up the static of paper sheets that are subjected to pressure and friction. Paper obtains the static property with increasing dryness.
Cellulose fibers have the natural property of absorbing water from the atmosphere.
This water changes the humidity and temperature of the paper. Therefore, it is important to maintain proper conditions of humidity & temperature for conditioning.
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