From Paper-mill to Pressroom — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
From Paper-mill to Pressroom
John Stuart Mill · en
Paper trimmings are divided into four classes, white and mixed, soft
and hard “shavings,” and are especially available, as they may be used
after sorting and dusting without undergoing further treatment, but it
is customary to macerate them in some sort of a pulper before placing
with other stock in the beaters. The printed waste must be boiled in
a solution of soda ash. This makes the ink removable. After about six
hours’ boiling, the stock is transferred to washers and treated like
rags. The ink and dirt having first been removed, bleaching solution is
introduced, and finally the stock is let down into drainers. In some
mills the draining is omitted, the excess bleach is washed out and an
antichlor added; then the stock is pumped over to a beating engine to
be mixed with the other ingredients preparatory to manufacture. This
process is less thorough, and there is more danger of getting residues
of bleach into the paper, as it is rather a nice matter to exactly
neutralize the bleach in the washer, and the maintenance of a uniform
color is endangered.
Printers, or others, who accumulate large quantities of waste papers,
will find that it pays to keep the various grades in separate
receptacles, as a better price may be obtained for it in this way.
Furthermore, by means of a baling press, the papers may be set aside in
compact bales, which occupy less room and are not so great a fire risk
as loose accumulations. The fact that 21.4 per cent of the paper-making
fibers, according to United States Census Report, 1909, are derived
from waste papers, indicates their importance as raw materials, while
their use lessens the drain upon our forests.
THE NON-FIBROUS CONSTITUENTS OF PAPER.
The non-fibrous constituents of paper are the mineral fillers, the
ingredients for sizing, and the coloring pigments and dyes. Mineral
fillers should not be regarded as adulterants. They are used, not as
a means for adding weight, but for the sake of certain effects which
are requisite in many papers. No filler is used on good writings or
ledgers, as the printing requirements do not call for a closely filled
surface or a mellow texture.
In book papers a varying percentage of clay is used, as it improves the
printing quality by filling up the interstices between the fibers and
increases opacity. Papers for half-tone printing require more filling,
in order to have smooth, level surfaces.
There are several kinds of filler in common use. The most common
is China clay, of which the cleanest and finest grades are
obtained principally in England. No equally good deposit has yet
been successfully developed in this country. Clay is a product of
the natural disintegration of feldspar. It is soft, plastic, and
non-crystalline.