October 2011 | Papermaking Basics The qualities that can make or break your job on press. November

October 2011 | Papermaking Basics Interesting paper fact: The word "paper" comes from the name of the papyrus plant that grew wild along the Nile River in Egypt about 4,000 years ago. Ancient Egyptians used to pound the leaves flat and use them to write on. 1

October 2011 | Papermaking Basics Common ingredients of Paper Pulp Cotton Postconsumer waste fiber Broke (Mill waste fiber) Water Calcium Carbonate Coating Sizing Dyes and Colorings Optical Brighteners Fillers 2

October 2011 | Papermaking Basics Important forest information 1.5 Billion seedlings are planted each year. More than 4 million new trees planted each year. Just like corn, grain and other crops, trees are a renewable resource. 3 Source:

October 2011 | Papermaking Basics Pulping: Has a porridge consistency at start, but we recommend not eating it. 4

October 2011 | Papermaking Basics 5 The Papermaking Machine

October 2011 | Papermaking Basics 6 Drying the paper In the dry end, huge metal cylinders are heated by filling them with steam. The wet paper passes through these hot rollers. Heating and drying the wet sheet seals the fibers closer and closer together, turning them gradually from pulp into paper.

October 2011 | Papermaking Basics 7 Coatings and Surface Treatments After the initial drying, coatings or special surface treatments can be added – such as Mohawks proprietary i-Tone, Inxwell, and Digital Imaging Surface.

October 2011 | Papermaking Basics 8 Pulp becomes Paper When you look at a piece of paper, can you find any difference in thickness in that single sheet? Probably not, thanks to a part of the paper machine called the calender - big, heavy cast iron rollers that press the drying paper smooth and uniform in thickness. A bit more drying, then rolled onto a big spool or reel, the pulp - a miraculous mat of fibers from trees - has become paper, ready for a thousand uses.

October 2011 | Papermaking Basics 9 Notable Qualities of Paper Formation: the uniformity and distribution of fibers within a sheet Opacity: the measurement of light passing through Brightness: the percentage of light reflected Surface: finish or smoothness affects ink holdout

October 2011 | Papermaking Basics Interesting Paper fact: Every day, U.S. papermakers recycle enough paper to fill a 15-mile-long train of boxcars. 10

October 2011 | Papermaking Basics 11 Mohawks family of papers With over 300 items in the Mohawk Digital portfolio, Mohawk offers the largest portfolio of products in the paper industry which are specifically engineered for digital printing. For more info click: Offset vs. Digital Sheets (Article) Offset vs. Digital Sheets (Article) Why Choose a Digital Sheet? (Video) Digital DNA (PowerPoint)

October 2011 | Papermaking Basics Mohawk MakeReady provides practical tools and actionable information for digital printers like you. 12 We can help… Visit: to browse content, request a meeting, or join the community.