Pulp to Paper

Last week, along with our friends from Mulberry, we were lucky enough to be taken around the James Cropper Paper Mill in Kendal by Margaret and Andrew from GF Smith. After a brief introductory video, we were whisked across to the lab where the process begins. Here colours can be matched to 3,500 shades already in the Cropper libary and computerised matches of another 12,700 colours. Every dye has its own characteristics, so they are tested under a variety of light conditions from a standard daylight source to fluorescent settings used in retail stores. From the lab back to the factory, tonnes of dyed pulp is mixed in large vats. Then gradually through a series of carefully managed and regulated processes, it becomes the paper we all know and love. Long live print!