Teijin Limited has developed a water-resistant, wet-strong printing paper made entirely with the company’s ECOPET recycled polyester fibre, derived from used PET bottles.
As a polyester material, the printing paper is said to be “highly water resistant” compared to conventional pulp-derived paper and “not easily torn when wet”, meaning it is well suited to use in outdoor or wet locations.
Potential applications include hazard maps, triage tags and other outdoor or disaster supplies, outdoor posters, recording papers, and labels and price tags for fresh or frozen foods.
“The new printing paper is as thin as conventional printing paper, so it can be used normally in regular laser printers with no need for manual feed,” Japan-based Teijin says.
The new paper – developed in collaboration with Nisshinbo Postal Chemical Co – is said to enable easy scoring, gluing and writing with pens or pencils, “unlike conventional water-resistant printing paper made of film”.
“As a wet laid nonwoven fabric made with the same method as machine-made Japanese paper, it offers levels of flexibility and texture not achievable with film-based printing paper,” the company adds.
