Forming

The moving web is then pressed and dried into a continuous sheet of paper. Most mass produced paper is made using a continuous process to form a reel or web.

Coating

Coating, the next stage, is the application of a suspension (layer) to the paper surface. It may be performed on the paper machine or on a separate off-machine coater. Coating may be on one or both sides and is followed by drying.

Raw paper that contains only pressed and dried pulp is very absorbent (soaks up water, like a sponge) and does not provide a good surface upon which to write or print. Thus a huge variety of additives (chemicals) are employed to add desired properties (characteristics) to the paper. These are applied in a coating called the size. Sizing agents are often polymers designed to provide a better printing surface. The most commonly used type of polymer is starch (a natural polymer), but there are as many types of polymer employed as there are types of paper.

Coatings can also be applied to the top layer of paper to improve the printing surface by making it smoother. The texture of raw paper is rough, and so to achieve greater smoothness, coatings consisting of latex or other binders and fillers such as kaolin or calcium carbonate (types of clay) are used. Glossy, silk or matt finish papers such as magazine paper are made in this way. Additionally glossy or textured surfaces can be applied using a process called supercalendering, in which the fresh rolled paper is run through an additional series of rollers to imprint the desired texture. The glossy effect is achieved at the end of the printing process, by adding a clear layer over the printing.

Dry Processes Finishing

This covers the finishing of pulp, paper and paperboard articles. In this process, the reeled up paper is converted (trimmed, transferred to smaller reels, cut into sheets, etc.) for sale or further processing.

Common types of paper

Product Type	World production in Tonnes (A)	Pulp / fibre type	Additives
Newsprint	32,404,000 (14%)	mostly mechanical and/or recycled with some Kraft or sulphite
Printing and Writing	70,039,000 (31%)	bleached wood free chemical, some unbleached (C)TMP	china clay (gloss), chalk (matt), titanium dioxide, size
Household and Sanitary	13,125,000 (6%)	softwood sulphite, some Kraft and recycled	synthetic resins, Urea, melamine formaldehyde
Packaging	98,983,000 (43%)	Kraft	wax, plastic, metal foil
Other	13,858,000 (6%)

Kraft papers

These are noted for their strength, are made predominantly from wood pulp and used primarily as packaging material. They can be converted into a wide variety of products such as grocery bags, envelopes etc. Their industrial uses include tapes, laminates for desks and countertops, and box coverings.

Special papers

Greaseproof and glassine papers are generally made from mechanical wood pulp and are ideal for wrapping foods. Glassine papers are supercalendered (explained above) and translucent or opaque.

Sanitary papers

These include any type of paper used for sanitary disposable purposes. Generally these papers are absorbent, bulky and have a soft texture.

Newsprint

The term refers to paper between specific grammages that is destined for newspapers. Most newsprint is used to print daily and weekly newspapers. The other major uses are inserts and flyers, newspaper supplements and directories.

In the last 15 years, world demand for newsprint has grown at an average annual rate of 2.1 percent. Newsprint demand, however, is extremely sensitive to economic cycles, and in the short run, it is not uncommon to observe large changes in demand and supply.