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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

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

10. 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)

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

12. 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)

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

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

15. Calendering Section
Heavy steel rolls smooth the dried paper

16. 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)

17. 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

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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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.

23. 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)

24. 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)

25. 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)

26. 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)

27. Typical Exam Questions
Draw and annotate cross section of corrugated card

28. 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)

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