3 Formation Facts & 3 Ways to Better Yours
Formation describes how uniformly the fibers and other solid components of a paper furnish are distributed in the finished sheet and is massively important! Good formation results in desired outcomes … Continue reading
The Three P’s: Porosity, Permeability and Permeance
All space is space in which to create. Eric Maisel I discovered an invisible empire of the air. Lee de Forest Think about a sheet of paper and you might … Continue reading
Size it Up – Internal Sizing Chemicals
Why Use Sizing? Sizings used in papermaking reduce water absorption into the fibers. Internal sizing treatments act on the outside of fibers. Consider paper towels, the main use being to wipe up spills and messes. … Continue reading
3 Paper Headlines From Twitterland
Here are three stories for you – paper inspired going-ons from Twitterland this week. Click the tweets to follow the links. 1) PACKAGING INNOVATION ENCOURAGES DRIVE THROUGH BIKING This article is about … Continue reading
I Recycled – Now What? Why We Do It. Why It Matters.
The next time you get an ‘F’ on an exam, don’t be bummed out – you can help a tree out! This Spring Semester, the last semester of my graduate … Continue reading
Paper – Every Fiber of Its Being
Paper is a composite of fiber and air. Cellulosic fibers come from plants, either from seed hairs, stems (bast), and/or from leaves. In industrial papermaking, cellulose comes primarily from wood, both hardwoods and … Continue reading
Sakes Alive! A4/A5
“Now we will switch from A3 to A4,” says Alejandro, the master papermaker here in Buenos Aires. I’ve seen paper being measured in A-scale before, mainly in the stationary and greeting card … Continue reading
FSC-This Label You Want
Back to investigating acronyms we find on our paper products – this time FSC. This acronym is not specific to paper. We see the logo on various products but they … Continue reading
The Song of the Papermakers
I got really lucky when I first was getting into papermaking. Shopping around on eBay one day I entered ‘paper maker’ into the search field. Scrolling down the results I … Continue reading
Counterfeit this bill and…die?
The United States got a new hundred-dollar bill last year, a familiar Benjamin staring back at you surrounded by a host of new security features. There’s a blue security ribbon of liberty … Continue reading
Time-Lapse Recycling
We hear a lot about the evils of paper, one of the evils being that paper use is wasteful. The fact is that paper is one of the most recycled … Continue reading
Hollander Beaters-Helping Papermakers Since the 1600s
One way that fibers are made more flexible before papermaking is a refining process called beating. Pounding and/or shearing action works to separate the fibers for the first time, or further refines fibers … Continue reading
A New Kind of Paper for a New Kind of Book
I have a lot of books. Collected over the years, my books move from house to house with me. They line my walls. They are transmitters of information. Some are … Continue reading
The Fiber Wire 