What makes our papers metallic? Metallization

As its name suggests, metallized paper’s bright and shiny looks are down to a process known as metallization. This involves vaporising a layer of 99.9% pure aluminium that’s around 25 nanometers (around 1 millionth of an inch) thick onto a paper base. The process is similar to fogging a bathroom mirror with your breath. 

To make this happen, we precoat rolls of plain paper, giving them a beautiful smooth surface. We then load them into our metallizers - basically giant vacuum chambers - one by one, feed the paper through the machines and apply a silver coating of consistent thickness and glossiness. 

How do we ensure our papers are glossy enough? By projecting a beam of light onto a surface and measuring the amount of reflected light with a glossmeter, which enables us to quantify the result in gloss units (GUs) and ensure it is consistent with individual clients’ needs. 

Want to know more? Get in touch with our team!