Edexcel – Product Design: Graphics Paper and Board Edexcel – Product Design: Graphics

Paper and Board Producing wood pulp Manufacturing of paper and card Cards and boards; Drawing papers Commercial printing papers Commercial card and board Commercial packaging materials

Producing Wood Pulp Wood is made of different materials One of which is lignin Lignin is great for binding all fibres together Softwoods and hardwoods are used Softwoods offer more strength Hardwoods offer a better finish

Producing wood pulp Mechanical Chemical Waste Pulp Wood is ground down (this softens the lignin) More wood produced (quantity) Chemical uses chemical solutions to convert wood into pulp Acids or alkalis Better quality paper/board produced Not done in UK – must be imported Waste Pulp Recycled paper and board is used in both mechanical and chemical processes Lower grades of paper and board, not as strong

Mechanical – Key Stages timber is debarked timber is ground/crushed to form a pulp pulp is soaked for period of time in vast quantity of water often pulp has to be bleached pulp often contains impurities steam used to aid pulping process

Chemical – Key Stages timber is debarked timber is chipped/cut into fragments 
fragments are pounded pulp is treated with chemicals (acid or alkaline) 
this dissolves lignin treated with steam screened to ensure chips are correct size

Waste – Key Stages Recyclable/old paper + card screened + shredded shredded waste is pulped with water ink is chemically removed properties poor so chemicals/bonding agents added to stiffen often added to new paper/mixed with virgin fibres pigments added to change colour

Manufacturing of paper and card Most modern papermaking machines are based on the principles of the Fourdrinier Machine. Paper machines have four distinct operational sections: Forming section (wet end) Press section Drying section Calender section

Forming Section Slurry of fibres is filtered out on a continuous fabric loop to form a wet web of fibre

Forming Section Wood pulp diluted with water/ to form slurry. (1), Slurry put/pumped through slit/slice (1), Onto moving gauze bed. (1), Belt vibrated water drained off (1), Suction box under belt to help remove water. (1), Allows fibres to interweave. (1)

Press Section Wet fiber web passes between large rolls loaded under high pressure to squeeze out as much water as possible

Press Section Rollers press out excess water from the pulp. (1), Pulp stretched to form rough paper. (1), Rollers smooth / flatten out pulp. (1), Thickness of board / paper determined at this stage (1), By adjusting roller gap. (1)

Drying Section A series of steam heated drying cylinders. Drying removes the water content

Drying Section Steam/ heated rollers used (1), To remove moisture. (1), Sizing agents / starches / resins added (1), This enhances the paper properties. (1)

Calendering Section Heavy steel rolls smooth the dried paper

Calandering Section Paper/card fed through series of rollers (1), To smooth paper. (1), To make uniform thickness. (1), Relief can be added to paper at this stage. (1)

Fourdrinier Summary wet end/diluted pulp fed onto mesh where water is removed press/pulp is squeezed to remove access water drying/heated rollers/Dandy Roll used to flatten 
roll paper into specific thickness calendaring/highly polished rollers (calendars) produce final smooth gloss paper finish paper rolled into large rolls to be transported vibrating belt to help drain water fibres interweave suction box and rollers draw out more water sizing agents added during drying process Rollers can be adjusted for thickness grades of paper

Card and Board Reminders: Paper Board Weight in gsm Thickness in microns

Cards and boards Drawing papers Layout Tracing Copier Cartridge lightweight, thin white paper- used for initial ideas- takes colour media well- low cost Tracing thin, translucent paper- making copies of drawings- high cost Copier Fairly cheap when bought in bulk and is available in a range of colours. It is also used for photocopying and inkjet printing usually. Cartridge good quality white paper- available in different weights- general purpose work- can be used to make simple models- medium cost

Cards and boards Commercial printing papers Bond Coated a high quality durable writing paper similar to bank paper but having a weight greater than 50gsm used for letterheads, other stationery and as paper for electronic printers. Coated has been coated by a compound to impart certain qualities to the paper, including weight, surface gloss, smoothness or reduced ink absorbency. for high quality printing used in packaging industry and in magazines

Cards and boards Commercial card and board Mounting board Recycled good quality thick card- coloured surface- used for final models- used for mounting work Recycled Used in secondary packaging may contain traces of inks, adhesives, and other residues which together give it a grey colour Less predictable composition and poorer functional properties

Commercial packaging materials Folding boxboard comprises of middle layers of mechanical pulp sandwiched between layers of bleached chemical pulp. Used in primary packaging. Corrugated card strong and lightweight, used for packaging protection and point of sale stands, available in different thicknesses Solid white board White board is a strong medium it is bleached so it provides a good surface for printing Foil lined board is good quality cardboard with a aluminium foil lining. This type of container is ideal for ready made meals or take away meals. The foil retains the heat and helps keep the food warm.

Typical Exam Questions Why use coated printing paper? (3 points) Any three of the following: Coating cover pits in paper (1) Gives smooth/ flat surface (1) Range of surface finishes available (1) High gloss/matt/satin/silk (1) Allows for high resolution/high quality outcomes/enhances printing(1) Improves durability/ water resistance of the paper (1)

Typical Exam Questions Give one aesthetic and one functional property of coated paper One from each of: Aesthetic Coating can be shiny/matt (1) Coating adds to the impression of quality (1) Coating enhances colours (1) Functional Coating protects the artwork (1) Coating protects the paper from wearing/improved durability(1) Coating adds to the thickness (1) Assists in tear prevention (1) Coating gives a good quality surface for printing on (1)

Typical Exam Questions Why is folding box board used in packaging laminate? Any one of the following: Good strength/protection for contents. (1) 
 Top layer good surface for printing. (1) 
 Excellent material for scoring/creasing/folding without splitting.(1)
 Relatively inexpensive when purchased in bulk. (1)

Typical Exam Questions Why is layout paper good for drawing on? One justified answer: Semi-transparent/Translucent (1) so allows overlay and images to be traced/copy through pages. (1) 
 Smooth surface finish (1) so accepts most drawing media. (1)

Typical Exam Questions Draw and annotate cross section of corrugated card

Typical Exam Questions State two properties that make commercial bond paper suitable for case-bound books. Any two from the following: Strong paper (made from rag pulp) (1) 
Clear paper grain direction which helps in fold and stitch process (1) Durable/doesn’t rip easily (1) High quality surface finish/printing surface (1) 
Good quality paper(1)

Task Sort out the papers and boards into the correct sequence.