Synthetic Grades Making Moves

Synthetic paper consumption is growing even faster than the 10%-per-year pace that was witnessed during the 1990s. Fortunately, there seems to be enough capacity to fit the newer, hungrier synthetics appetite - such as packaging inserts, pressure-sensitive labels, and shrink sleeves - as offshore producers continue to push capacity and marketing efforts.

North American consumption of papers made with synthetic fibers stands at around 80,000 tons or so, excluding house wrap and construction uses. Almost all applications are in offset printing. Commercial printing jobs like site manuals, business cards, maps, and other applications where exposure to rain and the elements are important is still the bulk of synthetic paper's applications.