AF&PA Releases November 2024 Printing-Writing Monthly Report

BIXOLON has certified the blue Blue4est® thermal paper for use in its premium SRP-380 thermal receipt printer. BIXOLON’s SRP-380 printer delivers perfect printing results every time on the blue thermal paper thanks to the smart media function, a special Blue4est® setting. The blue receipt is continuing its ascent as more and more companies put a premium on sustainability as they respond to their customers’ demand for more environmentally conscious products and services. Consumers can easily recognize that the receipts are environmentally friendly given the paper’s blue color. This is a result of the novel way in which the paper works: Koehler’s Innovation & Technology division developed a process which completely eliminates the need for color developers, meaning the Blue4est® till receipt is fully recyclable and can be disposed of as wastepaper.

Powell River’s paper mill is scheduled to resume production in May, according to mayor Dave Formosa. Speaking at the city council meeting on March 4, Formosa said he wanted to announce that the Catalyst Paper Corporation mill in Powell River will be starting up one paper machine. “We’re looking for that to happen in May,” said Formosa. “They are anticipating four- to six-week lead time so certain workers will be called back to the operation to start getting the facility ready to fire up one machine. “They will be making a new product that has not been made here before. It’s a brown, heavy paper that will line boxes, so it’s a box liner, which happens to have a good market. That’s good news.” Formosa said the mill is hoping to start up a second machine once it gets enough orders for the thermo-mechanical pulp (TMP) operation. He said that is where the mill would take pulp from the TMP operation, dry it on the paper machines onto rolls, and then sell it into Asia as a raw material.

Stora Enso has completed the installation of dispersion barrier technology at its Forshaga site in Sweden and production has now started. Completion of the installation follows the company’s EUR 10 million investment announced in 2020. The installation was carried out on time and the production of new products will be ramped up during the coming months. Dispersion barrier technology enables the production of more sustainable packaging solutions, facilitating the use of renewable wood fiber materials in demanding end uses such as food packaging. These products are also easier to handle in a recycling process, have a lower carbon footprint and can be composted in industrial facilities.