Paper & Board
Design & Technology: AQA GCSE, topic 2.4.1
Sources & Origins
The origin and sources of paper help us to understand the full journey of paper from many perspectives including designers, manufacturers, and consumers.
Pulp mixture
- Papers and board are made from a pulp mixture. This is often a combination of cellulose fibres and a large amount of water.
- The cellulose fibres come from a wide range of different woods.
- These woods are bamboo, sugar cane, hemp, flax and straw.
- A combination of softwoods and hardwoods are best. Generally, fast-growing softwoods are used as it is more sustainable.
Pulp
- The pulp is made from debarked logs, these are then converted into fine chips.
- A chemical solution is added which contains cellulose.
- This is then cooked in many large tanks under high pressure.
- This fibrous liquid is then coloured or bleached depending on the application and end product.
Sizing
- In order to get the required finish, the liquid is then beaten with other chemicals or additives. This is called sizing.
- The process of sizing stops paper from being as absorbent which allows the paper to be used for printing, photocopying and painting.
Sizing cont.
- Sizing allows for ink not to be absorbed and allows for it to be dried on the surface, this is cost effective and allows for accurate printing and painting.
- In some cases you will want very little sizing. This is important for products like toilet tissue or a kitchen paper towel as they are required to absorb liquids.
Converting pulp into a paper
- When converting the pulp to paper it is important to use mass production. Mass production is the production of thousands of products in a factory.
- Water is drained away using mesh conveyor belts.
- The paper will be stretched and squeezed of any excess water.
- The paper is then passed through the drying rollers and then the final Calendar rollers.
Finishes
- These rollers give the desired finish, often if you need a matt or satin finish this can be applied by the final rollers.
- A finish is applied to a material as its final coat or procedure to enhance the properties in mainly aesthetic or a functional way.
- An example of a paper with a finish is bleed-proof paper. This has a hard finish which resists the ink from spreading, this is useful for product/graphic designers using graphic marker pens.
Test yourself on Paper & Board
Paper Pulp
Which product requires less sizing?
Mass Production of Paper