A product can hardly be a marketing success if it doesn’t have a good package, one not only functional but also that produces incitement to acquire the product.
You can make this kind of packaging with many materials. Paper is one of the raw materials used for this purpose. They are usually used to coat other packaging. Its advantage is that paper can better preserve the product because it absorbs air while dust particles and light don´t have easy access. In addition, they are good for the environment because they can be easily and entirely recycled. Some disadvantages are the fragility of the material; Paper tears are very common and if water is present, it can ruin the packaging.
We know many types of paper, each one with particular features that make them suitable for specific products.
Kraft is one of the most striking types of paper. The term comes from the German word for resistance. It offers high resistance and is made from chemical Kraft pulp (sulfated). It can be crude or bleached.
Sometimes and in some countries, Kraft refers to the paper made with uncooked pasta of softwood Kraft. When is crude is widely used for wrapping and packaging, while bleached paper is used for ledgers, records, official documents, etc.
There is also paper liner. It is light or medium weight paper used in covers, external faces of corrugated board. It is called kraftliner when in its manufacture sulphate softwood pulp (kraft) virgin, raw or bleached is mainly used. The quality in the manufacture of recycled fibers is called testliner, often consisting of two layers.
As well, multilayer cardboard is very popular. It is the result of combining wet layers of paper, formed separately and with the same or different compositions, adhered by compression without any adhesive.
Other paper used in the production of packaging is the vegetable parchment, noted for its resistance to moisture and fats and oils. It is used to wrap butter, margarine, meats, cheeses and so on. It is also used to wrap silver and polished metals.
There is also the tissue paper. It is made from mechanical or chemical pulps, and in some cases from recycled paper. They can be made from bleached, unbleached or colored pulp. This paper is used to protect some electrical products, glass containers, tools, utensils, shoes and handbags. As a noncorrosive paper, Tissue is used to wrap highly polished metallic parts.
One feature to select paper as raw material for packaging is its durability, which mainly expresses the ability of the paper to fulfill their intended functions during intensive and continuous use. A paper can be durable but not permanent (due to the presence of acids that slowly degrade the cellulosic chains).
Is also worth noticing its resilience, which is the ability of the paper to return to its original shape after being bent or deformed. The presence of mechanical pulp in the composition confers paper such property.
Where does paper come from? The main raw material is wood (although technological advances and environmental trend have made recycled paper and cardboard gain importance).
The price of pulp is mainly dependent on consumer expectations. These are usually measured as the expected consumption in kilos per person. The fact that expectations over demand determine prices explains why the offer is nearly constant in the medium term. The increase in the availability of raw materials is very slow, given the long period of forests growth.
How to measure paper?
It is incorrect to talk about paper thickness because it is measured in grams per square meter, but surely, people understand the same.
The difference is that two types of paper having the same basis weight may have different thicknesses. For example, the standard paper sheet is 80 grams and if measured with a micrometer is rather thicker than a glossy paper of 80 grams.
That is the main confusion; coated papers and glossy papers feel and weigh different. Another example: a non-glossy paper card may be valid for 300 grams but on glossy paper, it is best to put a 350 because the result in 300 grams is considerably thinner, even if weighing the same.
So how can anyone decide on a weight without touching the paper? The following guide can be helpful:
- No glossy 60-115 grams: Interior of books, magazines interiors with many pages, leaflets, planes, medical brochures, letterhead sheets.
- No glossy 135-200 grams: flyers, leaflets, brochures, flyers or magazines with few pages.
- No glossy greater than 200 grams: Depending on the type or brand of paper, you can do everything from business cards, covers of books and magazines, some piece of packaging, and folders.
- Satin 70-150 grams: flyers, leaflets, brochures, plans, interior of brochures, magazines and books.
- Satin 170-250 grams: flyers, leaflets, brochures, interior of brochures, magazines, books and catalogs with few pages. Satin exceeding 250 grams: magazine covers, books, catalogs, deployable objects with big consistency.
With this small guide, you can determine for a weight according to your needs, but it is not an exact science. For example: some people think that a finer weight will represent big savings, but this only occurs with big printings or books or magazines with many pages, where kilos of paper are key in the final budget.
