As Presses Go Wider, So Goes Paper

摘要

With drupa comes news of bigger presses. Webs are arriving with reel stands capable of feeding larger 60" diameter rolls, and webs in 96" widths are in the offing. Sheetfeds are running faster, wider and longer, too. For paper mills, delivery of the larger format stock is technically quite feasible: Fine paper is now made on 409" (yes, 34') wide machines running at 4,000 fpm. Wide rolls at the mill, however, do not automatically translate to wide sheets being readily available for the new VLF (very large format) presses. What are the issues associated with large rolls and mega sheet sizes? First and foremost is availability. Large-format sheets are not stock items: minimums apply, and delivery times vary.