Gutenberg invented the printing press in the 1400′s and as much as technology has evolved, paper is still the standard way of keeping record for many important business documents, contracts and agreements. Office paper can be classified in many different ways as there are different printers on the market which use different types of paper, however the most popular size in Southern Africa is A4. There is also different quality when it comes to paper and this comes down to the paper supplier. Sometimes the supplier does not completely produce the paper themselves, instead they only take care of a certain part in the paper making process. There are several types of quality when it comes to paper, plain white sheets are the most common, but even these differ from company to company, the only way to really know which type of office paper suits one’s needs is to look around and try different types.

Suppliers continue to get better and better at producing paper, the costs decrease and the differences in quality are very small and are difficult to find. Sometimes the manufacturer of the high-use printer which is used inside offices will recommend a brand of printing paper that works best with it’s printer. Making office paper is not something that can be done over night, there are many different parties which each play a unique role in the eventual product. Paper starts with planting trees on a large scale, harvesting all these trees and then sending them to special factories, one of the last steps in the process is to bleach the paper to a white colour that the offices are seeking.

There are several paper recycling companies in South Africa which will collect waste paper, and in some cases pay a fee for high quality waste paper. The reason there is demand for waste paper is because suppliers can actually re-use this paper to produce and manufacture other items, the most obvious would be another form of paper. Toilet paper is also a big bi-product of waste paper and this also plays a role with regards to the demand of waste paper on the market.

The waste paper suppliers will supply all these companies with waste paper which can be then reproduced into products that can be sold on the market. This means that new trees do not necessarily need to be cut down in order to make a form of paper, and in all many parties can benefit from the entire process. There are not too many waste paper suppliers in South Africa so one has to do their research very well in order to find one that will actually cater for their business needs.

The task of producing handmade paper is not very simple, but everyone has their own style and method of doing it. There are some craft companies which are actually handmade paper suppliers and produce paper with a personal touch. This type of paper is used in similar ways that normal paper is used but is best suited when used in conjunction with a gift or as a personal message. Love letters sent on plain white paper that is mass produced are perceived as boring and lack passion. When one uses handmade paper as the basis of a love letter this immediately indicates a higher level of affection and effort.

Handmade paper suppliers will sometimes produce the entire paper from scratch, others will take ready produced paper and then apply certain colourants and bleaches in order to give the paper a handmade feel. Some small paper businesses will even make custom paper depending on an order. The client just needs to give dimensions and the style of the paper, the supplier will then custom make the paper. This works very well with wedding and engagement party invitations.

The biggest clients for handmade paper suppliers are those who are involved in the scrapbooking supplies industry. A very popular pass time for many women is scrapbooking, this usually involves cutting up photos and magazines and reusing those pictures in an artistic way. Very often ladies will stick photo’s from their scrapbooking onto handmade paper.

Anything that is made by hand is always a good indication that time and effort has personally been invested into producing something. In order to get the best prices for cheap paper that is handmade and quality in South Africa one should try and get several quotations from different handmade paper suppliers accross the country.