What the paper says

The past few months have seen the launch of a veritable confetti flutter of intriguing new papers. The green stream continues to flow and adding to the environment-friendly papers on offer comes Evolve. An interesting development in this area because it’s a high quality stock available in coated and uncoated versions and therefore suitable for applications as diverse as full-colour brochures and the humble compliment slip. The secret ingredient here is UK Fibre – a mix produced from recycled office and post-consumer waste paper. Despite a high recycled content the producer, UK Paper, claims that Evolve is brighter and whiter than comparable recycled products and performs as well as many virgin-pulp papers. Also new from UK Paper is the relaunched Crossbow range of uncoated papers – these now contain 20 per cent UK Fibre and are whiter than before. Suggested uses include directories, books, newsletters and business forms.

Meanwhile, promising to be smoother, cleaner and whiter, Inveresk has relaunched its 100 per cent recycled Repeat Image office papers. The range of weights is now 80, 90 and 100gsm and sizes are A4, A3 and SRA2.

Monadnock devotees will be pleased to learn that this great North American paper is now available in a recycled version – Monadnock Revue PC100. The PC doesn’t stand for politically correct – it’s a reference to the post-consumer waste used in the paper’s production. The stock is good, and bright and smooth to boot. It’s available in 118 and 216 weights from MoDo Merchants.

Also available through MoDo Merchants, French paper-maker Aussedat Rey has launched the 30 per cent cotton Antinoe, with the choice of the tactile “Rough” finish or the delicately textured “Canne”. Ideal for text and cover usage, the creators say that its special features include excellent print performance along with superb results in embossing, die-stamping and hot foil stamping.

For anyone tempted by digital printing, MoDo Paper has devised a useful sample pack showing off its paper’s performance on a quintet of digital colour presses. Papers put through their paces include Silverblade Digital, DataCopy Option and DataCopy Digital; they were printed on an Indigo, Xeikon, Agfa Chromapress, Canon and an IBM.

Brand new from Finland is a new generation, double-coated fine paper called Galerie Fine available from the merchant Robert Horne. The intriguing point about this stock is that it’s one of the first papers ever made using aspen pulp – particularly good for opacity, rigidity and smoothness – and this combined with its specially devised coating formula enhancing brightness and smoothness means lower weights can be specified, thereby making significant savings on large runs. According to a Robert Horne spokesman an 80gsm weight in Galerie Fine has the feel and opacity of an equivalent 100gsm coated stock which means savings of up to 20 per cent. The paper is designed for use in high quality offset colour jobs such as brochures, mailshots and magazines.

Good news for Fedrigoni fans, the Italian fine paper-maker has established a UK base at Ashford in Kent. And to mark its arrival in England the company has launched a sheet loaded with traditional British style… it’s called Savile Row. Nicely understated and containing 20 per cent cotton, it is available in an intriguing Pinstripe, a Tweed effect and a gorgeously chunky smooth called Plain. Nice serious colours too.

Updated ranges include the new-look, part-cotton Avalon from Inveresk. For business stationery, text and cover uses, it is available in plain, pinstripe and laid textures and five weights with guarantees that the stock can take litho, inkjet and laser printing. The range is sold through the merchant James McNaughton.

In coated papers, Wiggins Teape has launched the remodelled Chester range – the new stock boasts improved surface smoothness, a neutral white shade, extra brightness and higher gloss levels which are designed to improve colour-printing results. The paper is available in a range of sizes and weights and in True Matt and Gloss finishes.

Curtis Fine Papers Classic range of uncoated writings, text and cover paper now includes Classic linen – this crisp stock is available in ultra white and ivory in weights of 100 and 250gsm. And GF Smith has enhanced its Beckett Ridge collection of papers which, as the name suggests, are ridged papers. A sample book, sample sheets and dummy brochures are available.

Showing off its prowess in label papers, Zanders has produced an impressive Message On A Bottle pack filled with examples of complex label printings on Chromalux. The label papers are shown in a variety of different weights and finishes from smooth high gloss to sparkling and metallic.

And finally… Arjo Wiggins Fine Papers has devised a novel approach to fashion colours by launching its special edition Hi-Five coloured papers on the web… and to add to the excitement they will be available for just 500 days. Said to be inspired by the catwalks of Milan and Paris the colours are pretty unusual – Cyber is an intriguing shiny silver, then there’s Acid, Hyper, Ultra and Cosmic. To find out more dial up http://www.hi5.co.uk.