PAPER AND ITS PROBLEMS Available to Purchase

Paper has become such a commonplace feature of everyday life that it is often taken very much for granted and so it is worth pausing at the start of this article to remind ourselves of the diverse nature of paper and its many applications. The paper on which this article is printed is only a start, and it is not difficult for anyone to produce a long list of many different uses for different types of paper. In no particular order there comes to mind banknotes, cereal cartons, credit card slips, kitchen towels, “manila” file folders, wrapping paper, official envelopes, sugar bags, carbon paper, corrugated packing cases, newspapers, wallpaper, etc., etc. Some applications are not so obvious; if the reader is sitting at a desk or table having a heat resistant plastic laminate surface, the pattern will almost certainly be printed on paper, layers of which are impregnated with resin, and heated and compressed to produce the familiar laminate material.