Should Your Message be Cast in Stone, or Should You Just Go Bananas?

One of the more interesting environmental innovations for the printing industry is the development of paper made from stone.The idea is to replace paper made from wood pulp (read "trees") and reduce the water and energy required to produce the paper. Stone papers are generally made up of crushed limestone bound into sheet form with a non-toxic polymer resin. Manufacturers boast that paper made from stone requires no water and no bleach, is biodegradable, and uses significantly less energy to make than paper made from traditional fibers - even recycled fibers. Others argue that mining is destructive and minerals, unlike trees, are a non-renewable resource. For a discussion of the environmental issues, go to TreeHugger Forum.

There are a number of these stone based papers on the market. Brands include Paperocks, Fiberstone, TerraSkin, Viastone, Rockstock, Stonepaper, and probably a few others I have not run across yet. We have used the Paperocks brand here at CR Print, but none of the others. In terms of print production, paper made from stone has very high ink hold-out properties. That is, the ink stays on the surface and does not absorb readily into the paper. This can provide a very nice looking print job, as it does for most coated papers. But with the stone paper, it also results in extended drying time. We are talking days rather than hours here. It is best to avoid heavy solids if your design is intended for stone papers. The stone papers are also heavier and somewhat slower to run through a press. Don't get me wrong, stone papers have a wonderful, unique feel and are terrific for those special, high touch, projects. Just allow some extra production time.

There are lots of other non-tree-fiber papers available in today's market. There are synthetics like Polyart and Yupo, which have the advantages of being water, grease, and tear resistant. There are also papers made from alternative plant fibers like kenaf or hemp, even bananas and mangoes. Here at CR Print, we have printed on a number of non-tree-fiber papers, including the synthetics mentioned above and paper made from kenaf, bananas, and coffee.  If you have a special project for one of these products, give us a call. We can help in the planning stages so you make the most of these unique papers.