Lightweight coated paper: More with less
Pulp & Paper

THE CHALLENGE OF PRODUCING HIGHquality lightweight coated (LWC) paper can be described in three words-"more with less." The challenge is to get more from the coating when there's less of it, while also producing paper faster, better, and more costeffectively. Cost reduction, whether from lower raw material, operational, or labor costs, is the name of the game. Other major trends include:

GLOBALIZATION AND CONSOLIDATION. Although worldwide coated paper demand and output continue growing, weak profitability is a concern. In response, coated paper producers have been divesting non-core assets, limiting capital expenditures, and consolidating to obtain efficiencies of scale. One result is that many production lines now run separate, specific, narrow grade structures. Companies are also benchmarking across regions to ensure product consistency.

REDUCED BASIS WEIGHTS. Lower basis weights in both North America and Europe have been facilitated by the use of short-dwell coaters as well as advances in soft-nip calendering, which allow for higher sheet opacity and bulk at a given grammage. Savings in postage and shipping costs are the key advantage. However, lower weights can result in poorer machine runnability and lower stiffness and overall print quality. And for LWC, performance has to be balanced with cost.

GRADE EVOLUTION. The historical quality and cost gap between supercalendered (SC) paper and LWC No. 5 has steadily decreased since the 1980s. Higher quality coated free-sheet No. 3 grades are also competing with LWC, as prices for No. 3 have declined over the past decade.