Paperboard

Another end-use is high quality graphic printing, such as book and magazine covers or postcards.

Folding cartons first emerged around the 1860s and were shipped flat to save space, ready to be set up by customers when they were required.

In general, the following are often used:[3][4] Fibrous material is turned into pulp and bleached to create one or more layers of board, which can be optionally coated for a better surface and/or improved appearance.

The above-mentioned fibrous material can either come from fresh (virgin) sources (e.g. wood) or from recycled waste paper.

[5] Today paperboard packaging in general, and especially products from certified sustainable sources, are receiving new attention, as manufacturers dealing with environmental, health, and regulatory issues look to renewable resources to meet increasing demand.

Raw materials include: Two principal methods for extracting fibres from their sources are: Pulp used in the manufacture of paperboard can be bleached to decrease colour and increase purity.

Recycled paperboard may contain traces of inks, bonding agents and other residue which colors it grey.

There are three categories of bleaching methods: Multi-ply paperboard generally has higher creasing and folding performance than single-ply as a result of layering different types of pulp into a single product.

[6] In order to improve whiteness, smoothness and gloss of paperboard, one or more layers of coating is applied.

Coated paper is usually made up of: Additional components could be OBA (optical brightening agents).

Stiffness also gives strength and reduces the propensity of a carton to bulge under the weight of settling flowable contents such as cereals.

[5] According to ProCarton, the consumption of paper and paperboard seem to correlate with economic trends (GDP).

A bit more than half (54%) of the European carton is produced using recovered fibre or waste paper.