322 MODERN PAPER-MAKING
As soon as the reams are counted they should be weighed and packed in
ream wrappers and fastened with gummed tape; they are then marked with
indelible ink lettering as required.
Usually a special brand label is pasted to the ream wrapper, and in this
case the wrappers must be thoroughly dried before being used, so that the wet
paste will not break through and cockle the paper inside.
When reams are tied with tape the operation should be neatly and regularly
carried out, so that when the reams are placed in a pile all the tapes will corre-
spond and give a neat appearance. Attention to these details always helps to
give a good name to the mill.
In some cases gummed tape is used for closing the ream wrappers, but this
has the disadvantage that it necessitates a fold of wrapper being placed over
on to the top of the ream, instead of being folded in at the end, which does
not make such a neat package.
When proper knots are used to tie up the tape, the reams can be unfastened
quickly and without spoiling the wrapper when only a sheet or a quire
or two are required, or when the paper is being examined at the buyer's
warehouse.
Before the paper is sent away it is usual to tie up two or three reams into a
bundle, and this is done by means of strong and bulky wrappers, in order to
protect the paper from damage in transit, and to lessen the handling and packing
of it in tracks or lorries.
It is important that valuable papers should be well and securely packed,
and sufficient attention is not always paid to this important point. A good
paper is worth a good wrapper and will always benefit from it. To realize the
importance of this it is only necessary to visit the warehouse of one of the large
wholesale stationers, and see the conditions in which the consignments of paper
arrive from different mills. Some are neat and untorn, while others are often
untidy and the wrappers are all torn and gaping, exposing the paper to light,
dust and moisture. While some damage can no doubt be attributed to rough
handling in transit, it will generally be found that the packing is greatly to
blame.
In the case of large and unwieldy reams, especially if the paper is thin in
substance, it will be necessary to pack the bundles between light wooden frames
or boards, in order to prevent the reams from bending and buckling when being
loaded and unloaded-
Formerly, this method was adopted with most fine papers, but nowadays
it is generally confined to special lots and .unwieldy sizes. These boards and
frames are the property of the mill in most cases and are returnable.
Various methods of packing have to be adopted for shipment of paper to