Raw Materials for Paper Production

The portfolio of Hahnemühle FineArt products contains over 500 different paper grades. All of them are manufactured from clear spring water and high-quality fibrous raw material – cellulose and rag. Both in the past and nowadays, unique, smooth paper of a fine structure is produced. And if in the past this paper was mould-made by hand, nowadays paper made to traditional formulations delights painters, graphic artists, illustrators, book-binders and recently also photographers and artist using digital techniques.

• Fibrous raw materials
  
  Cellulose
  20 different types, made of hardwood and softwood (beech, birch, eucalyptus, pine, fir etc.)
  
  Rag
  6 different types – very high quality fibrous material obtained laboriously from cotton seed bags
  
  
• Stock preparation
  initial process stages, such as pulping of the fibrous material, preparation of stock or shortening of fibres and fibrillation (separation of fibres), sorting and cleaning
  
  
• Water
  soft spring water from the Solling region is the basis of all the production processes and a guarantee of prime paper quality
  
  
• Fillers
  they have a considerable effect on paper properties and scope of application. They influence, among others, ageing, PH value, whiteness, opacity or porosity of paper.
  
  
• Neutral size
  Hahnemühle was the first papermill in Germany to switch to synthetic sizing with a neutral synthetic agent. Such a paper sizing method has been possible for about 30 years and is used to make extremely stable and ageing resistant paper grades.
  
  
• Carbon carbonate
  A paper filling agent used as an alkaline reserve as paper’s pH value is shifted towards the alkaline area. All the sized Hahnemühle papers have a pH value between 7.5 and 9.5. When its contents in the furnish is over 2%, the paper is treated as age-resistant.
  
• Dyes and fixes
  Used optionally to support the production process or dye the paper as required.