Celebrate Earth Day and Buy Recycled Printable Paper

Earth Day is this week and what better way to do a good deed for Mother Nature than to purchase and use some recycled printable paper. If this sounds like something you’re interested in doing, you are probably wondering what to look for in recycled printable paper or wondering what constitutes as recycled printable paper.

In order to ensure that the heavyweight paper you’re purchasing is truly recycled, you need to make sure that it is FSC and/or SFI certified. FSC stands for the Forest Stewardship Council and the Sustainable Forest Initiative. These organizations ensure that the recycled printable paper products you purchase are of the highest quality, and are produced in line with the environmental protection guidelines.

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative was started in 1992 in response to the Earth Summit in Rio by loggers, foresters, environmentalists, and sociologists, who were interested in banding together and working out cohesive 10 point program that lists their ecological and social responsibilities. The Sustainable Forest Initiative is an independent non-profit organization. All SFI products are made with fiber that has come from legal sources that meet the stringent requirements for forestry management.

Paper Choice for Resumes is Important

With the job market so tight these days, Resume presentation is of utmost importance. Obviously, content is one of the more crucial aspects to a successful resume, but even the most impressive lists of past experiences and accolades seems forgettable when they are presented in a dull, unattractive, and disorganized manner.

If you’ve been applying to jobs and have been invited for an interview, congratulations! There was obviously something the potential employer liked from your cover letter or inquiry, so you need to highlight those attribute and present yourself in the most professional way possible.

This means printing out your wonderful resume on heavyweight paper or custom stock sheets. Paper choice really adds a polished touch to your overall ambience, so be sure to use heavy paper. If you have a stack of resumes on your desk that all look alike, the one on the nice paper is probably going to stick out and leave a positive imprint on the interviewers mind.

A key thing to remember on the day of the interview is to bring a hard copy of your resume, even if you sent one out via email. The potential employer will see your professional resume on heavyweight paper and know that you mean business.

Printable Paper Terms Defined

Like most things, the world of printable paper has its own glossary of technical jargon. Paper, although it seems simple and straightforward is a complex thing. You may have encountered a few of these words when shopping for paper at the office supply store and was left scratching your head.

Grain Direction- The direction in which paper fibers lie; a factor to consider for achieving the best results in printing, folding, and converting.

Finish- A paper’s surface characteristics like smoothness, appearance and gloss.

Laser paper- Manufactured in cut sizes, very smooth and low in moisture to prevent curling in high-heat situations.

Linen Finish- A woven-like textured effect by embossed a web of paper with a patterned steel-roll.

Opacity-A paper’s ability to prevent light transmission. The more opaque a paper is the less you can see through it.

Laid Finish-A linear pattern applied by a dandy roll while the paper is still very wet to mimic the look of hand-made paper.

Cockle Finish-A rough, uneven, hard paper finish. Most frequently manufactured in bond papers.
For the best selection of printable paper, including custom stock sheets, turn to Limited Paper.

Recycling Tips for Printable Paper

For every ton of paper recycled, 17 trees live! If you are dealing with a lot of paper in your home or office, here are some tips to help keep your environment cleaner and greener.

1. Separate printable paper into three groups: color, white, and newspaper. Newspaper can be tied together with twine or placed in brown bags to make collection easier. Mixed paper includes everything from magazines to colored flyers. Make sure to remove all non- paper items like rubber bands, plastic wrappers and the like. Staples are okay.

2. Re-use scrap paper for making notes or writing memos. This can be done by ripping off edges, using the reverse side, or folding in half custom stock sheets.

3. Keep a pile of recyclable paper on or under your desk. This provides easy access to scrap and reduces time by keeping your trip to the recycle bin to just one daily visit rather than having to get up every time you want to throw something away.

If you follow these tips, you will not only have a more environmentally friendly office or home, but you will feel better about doing your part in the global effort to reduce waste. And if you’re looking to buy printable paper, heavyweight paper or custom stock sheets that you can eventually recycle, www.LimitedPapers.com is your resource.

A History of Printable Paper

Long before custom stock sheets and heavyweight paper, the Ancient Chinese developed a paper method of their own. Although paper substitutes, like papyrus, bone, and even silk were used to write and transport information, paper was used to wrap and protect items for thousands of years. The court official Cai Lun is credited with inventing modern day paper around the year 8 A.D. He is said to have taken his ideas from bees. Weaving mulberry and other plants and fibers together he created a writable product.

During the 8th century, the first paper mills opened in Baghdad after Chinese secrets spread to the west. Christian Europe, however, was reticent in accepting this new technology, viewing it as a Muslim attempt to control foreign lands. After Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press, paper spread in popularity, but it was still a scarce resource. Most paper fibers were hemp and linen rags.

Until the 19th century paper was not readily available. When the steam driven paper mill appeared, it became the standard for paper production, but it was not until the latter part of the century that wood pulp began to be favored over rags.

Today printable paper is usually bleached white, while heavyweight paper is colored using dyes and other techniques. Although a lot has changed over the years, it’s pretty clear that the development paper has contributed to the advancement of human technology.

Paper For Any Job!

There are many different types of paper. Each best fits a description for each job your office does. Here is a list of how weight accords with style and purpose.

Some of the lighter paper around is best for certificates, directories, fliers, forms, handbills, letterheads, newsletters, photocopy, quick printing, and resumes. This printable paper is for writing jobs predominantly and is weighed anywhere from 9-28. Carbonless paper is supplementary to this group because it is used for paper that can be rapidly disposed of, such as receipts, invoices, and purchase orders. This paper usually weighs under 20.

Heavyweight paper is usually used for annual reports, announcements, art reproductions, books, brochures, calendars, posters, self-mailers. This paper is longer lasting, weighing anywhere from 60-100, and will not detiorate over the course of time. It can also be used for business cards, calendars covers for annual reports, books, catalogs and directories folders, greeting cards, invitations, menus, point of purchase displays, post cards , posters, table tents, and tickets.

After the paper used for text, coated books and cover paper is the really heavyweight paper – board. 90-175 is the usual weight of these papers as it can be used for any heavy duty job you have. That pretty much runs the paper gamut. Now you should be able to choose what kind of paper suits you best.

Art Class Notes: Heavyweight Paper and Such

I teach art class to elementary school children. I’ve been doing it for a long time now – almost twenty years. I do it because I love children, and I love art. Teaching children to foster their creative instincts is so rewarding, especially when I see the joy they get from working intensely on their projects, and the pride they have when they show the class their finished product.

I especially like the collage project I teach once a year. During this project, I tell the kids that they can bring in whatever they want, but it has to be able to stick to paper, at least with Elmer’s glue. Some of the kids get pretty crazy, wanting to bring in action figures and sticks and leaves they find at recess, but others are more sedate, and are satisfied with the choice of heavyweight paper I provide. I tell the school about the custom paper size I need and they deliver it. I encourage the kids to cut the heavyweight paper and paste it to make a sort of rainbow collage.

The final results vary, and even though I have already chosen a custom paper size, I’ve seen some projects that wind up being twice the size of the original paper I chose. In any event, every year it’s always something different and that’s another reason why I love it!