Sappi has expanded into the book market with a new Galerie range billed as a complete book paper solution spanning heatset, coldset, and digital printing.
Made at Sappi’s Kirkniemi Mill in Finland, the first two products are Galerie Book Creamy, which comes in weights of 52, 55, and 60gsm. Bulk specifications are 1.8, 2.0, and 2.2. then, the high-bulk variant Galerie Book Creamy Bulk is 52gsm with 2.3 bulk for enhanced opacity and improved feel. Sappi plans to add Galerie Book White at a future date.
According to Head of Sales for Galerie Book – Joonas Järvinen, book publishers have been seeking greater supply chain resilience and demand for reliable, sustainable, and versatile book paper options in the book paper segment thus, Sappi said the papers have been specifically engineered to perform consistently across multiple printing methods, including heatset, coldset, and digital printing. “With the development of Galerie Book as part of our Galerie brand family, we’re providing publishers with a credible alternative that matches the technical specifications demanded by the market while delivering the sustainability performance they require” Järvinen noted.
Successful trials of Galerie Book involving multiple leading customers have already taken place, with the papers now commercially available and sold directly by Sappi.
According to report, Kirkniemi is the biggest coated paper mill in the world. It runs three paper machines and has an annual production capacity of 750,000 tonnes, making Sappi’s Galerie and Magno ranges. The mill has benefited from significant investments, including an €80m multi-fuel boiler. Direct carbon emissions were reduced by 90% following the switch to bioenergy. Sappi said the use of renewable biomass energy and clean purchased electricity has contributed to a 70% reduction in product carbon footprint, aligning with the growing sustainability requirements of major publishers. Woodfibre is sourced from managed forests within a 300km radius, reducing transportation impacts, and the resource efficiency drive includes an advanced water management system that allows water to be reused up to 18 times before purification. Kirkniemi also produces 300,000tpa of bleached mechanical pulp for its own consumption.
