Paper and Board Selection

Selection Criteria

Factors considered when choosing paper or board

Textured Paper

Paper with a tactile surface

Embossed Board

Board with raised patterns

Laminated Material

Material coated with another for waterproofing

Wood Pulp

Material derived from tree cutting for paper

Cellulose Fibres

Fibres from wood and grasses used in paper

Renewable Material

Resource that can be naturally replaced

Polymer Addition

Enhances tensile strength of paper or card

Crimped Inner Layer

Wave-like structure for compressive strength

Corrugated Cardboard

Cardboard with corrugated inner layer for strength

Bending Force

Force applied at an angle to material

Shear Force

Force causing material to slide in layers

Virgin Paper

Paper made from new fibres, not recycled

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)

Organization promoting responsible forest management

The 6 Rs

Approach to reduce environmental impact: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rethink, Refuse, Repair

Tensile Strength

Resistance to breaking under tension

Compression

Pushing force acting on material

Torsion

Twisting force applied to material

Shear Resistance

Material's ability to withstand sliding forces

Hardwood Trees

Trees with longer maturity period

Softwood Trees

Trees with shorter maturity period

Offset Lithography

Printing method for mass card production

Opacity

Degree of transparency or translucency

Absorbency

Material's ability to soak up liquids

Stock Forms

Different forms in which papers and boards are supplied

Ply

Number of layers in a paper or board

Grams per Square Metre (gsm)

Measurement of paper thickness

Microns

Unit of measurement for board thickness

Micron

1/1,000th of 1 mm

Corrugated cardboard

Strong, lightweight; used for packaging and insulation

Duplex board

Cheaper, various finishes; used for food packaging

Solid white board

Top quality, printable; used for hardback books

Foil-lined board

Expensive, moisture barrier; used for pre-packed food

Inkjet board

Expensive, photo quality; used for posters

Foam-core board

Strong, lightweight, foam core; used for model making

Prototype production

Low cost, suitable for testing designs

Batch production

Printed in large quantities once

Mass production

Manufactured in very large quantities

Continuous production

24/7 manufacturing with automation

Production aids

Templates, patterns for accurate shapes

Measuring equipment

Ruler, protractor, set square for accuracy

Cutting tools

Guillotine, craft knife, compass cutter for precision

Coatings & laminating

Protective layers for durability

Sizing

Chemical added for protective glaze

Offset lithography

Main commercial printing process for paper and boards

CMYK

Cyan, magenta, yellow, key (black) color model

Die cutting

Commercial process for accurate cutting

Tolerance

Acceptable range of difference in manufacturing

Quality control

Ensuring consistency and high standards

Registration mark

Used to check alignment in printing

Crop marks

Indicate where to cut on a sheet of paper

Varnish

Added for glossy finish, often on logos

Embossing

Creates raised patterns for texture and depth