Paper Processing Shortcuts Can Damage Equipment and Create Jams

Reputable paper mills adhere to the highest paper manufacturing requirements. Paper mills aiming to undercut their competition will frequently take shortcuts to save resources and offer a cheaper product

The papermaking process has many steps, beginning with the conversion of wood to wood pulp and finishing in an 8-step Fourdrinier machine process. Papermaking is a 5,000-year-old highly engineered discipline. There is very little that can be left out of the process without substantially impacting the quality of the end product.

Nonetheless, some paper mills strive to sacrifice quality in order to meet the huge demand for low-cost paper. Subpar paper, on the other hand, harms printing equipment by depositing microscopic paper dust particles inside the precision-engineered printer interior. This residue accumulates and eventually clogs the printer’s internal components, resulting in unexpected paper jams and poorly registered images that defy calibration.

When subjected to heat, high-quality paper resists curling, is dense enough to respond to vacuum-fed printer actuators, is neither too rough nor too slick, and has just the proper level of moisture (between 4.5% and 6%, depending on the printing process employed). Each sheet should have some friction with the next, but not too much.

The number of mechanical properties that printing paper must have in order to produce high-quality output is startling. When you consider visual variables like opacity and brightness, it’s evident that paper can play a significant part in the success of your office.