Paper roll sizes vary significantly depending on their intended use in industries like newspaper printing, packaging, or tissue manufacturing to meet specific functional and technical requirements. These variations include differences in width, diameter, and core size. Here’s a breakdown by industry:

1. Newspaper Printing

Typical Paper Roll Sizes:

  • Width:
    • Ranges from 24 to 54 inches, depending on the size of the newspaper.
    • Common sizes: 30″, 36″, 45″.
  • Diameter:
    • Ranges from 30 to 50 inches, depending on the printer’s capacity.
  • Core Size:
    • Typically 3 inches to fit high-speed printing presses.

Purpose:

  • Newsprint Rolls:
    • Made from lightweight paper (40-52 GSM) for cost-effectiveness.
    • Large rolls are essential for continuous high-speed production.
  • Advantages:
    • Wide rolls maximize the print area, enabling multiple pages to be printed simultaneously.

2. Packaging Industry

a. Kraft Paper Rolls

  • Width:
    • Varies widely from 12 inches to over 120 inches, depending on the packaging needs.
    • Narrow widths (12-36 inches) are used for wrapping or void fill.
    • Wider rolls (60+ inches) are used for corrugated board production.
  • Diameter:
    • Generally ranges from 24 to 60 inches for industrial packaging.
  • Core Size:
    • Typically 3 inches for standard wrapping machines.

b. Corrugated Cardboard Production

  • Width:
    • 72 to 120 inches, depending on the size of the corrugated sheets being produced.
  • Diameter:
    • Large rolls with diameters up to 60 inches ensure uninterrupted production.
  • Purpose:
    • Used as linerboard (outer layer) or fluting (corrugated middle layer).

c. Specialty Packaging Paper

  • Width:
    • Custom sizes (e.g., 24-48 inches) for specific applications like printed gift wraps or food-grade packaging.
  • Purpose:
    • Provides wrapping, cushioning, or decorative functionality.

3. Tissue Manufacturing

Parent Rolls for Tissue Production

  • Width:
    • 100 to 150 inches, accommodating large tissue converting machines.
    • Smaller widths (e.g., 15-30 inches) are used for direct conversion into toilet paper or napkins.
  • Diameter:
    • Ranges from 50 to 100 inches, depending on the production scale.
  • Core Size:
    • Larger core sizes (e.g., 6 inches) are used for jumbo rolls to handle high-speed conversion machines.

Purpose:

  • Parent rolls are used to produce:
    • Toilet paper
    • Facial tissues
    • Paper towels
  • Advantages:
    • Large widths and diameters allow for bulk production and fewer machine stoppages.

4. Printing and Publishing

Wide-Format Printing

  • Width:
    • Rolls typically range from 18 to 60 inches, depending on the application (e.g., posters, banners, or CAD drawings).
    • Common sizes: 24″, 36″, 42″.
  • Diameter:
    • Smaller diameters, usually between 4 to 12 inches, for compatibility with wide-format printers.
  • Core Size:
    • Commonly 2 or 3 inches.

Purpose:

  • High-quality coated or uncoated paper rolls for producing banners, blueprints, or marketing materials.

5. Thermal Paper (POS and ATM Rolls)

Typical Sizes:

  • Width:
    • 2.25 to 3.125 inches for POS systems.
    • Wider sizes (up to 8 inches) for industrial use or large receipt printers.
  • Diameter:
    • Smaller rolls, usually 2 to 4 inches, for easy handling and storage.
  • Core Size:
    • Typically 0.5 to 1 inch, matching compact POS systems.

Purpose:

  • Used for printing receipts, tickets, or transaction slips.

6. Specialty Industries

Sublimation Printing

  • Width:
    • Rolls range from 24 to 100 inches, depending on the size of the substrate being printed (e.g., fabric or hard goods).
  • Diameter:
    • Medium-sized rolls with diameters between 6 and 12 inches.
  • Core Size:
    • Standard 2 or 3 inches for compatibility with sublimation printers.

Waterproof and Industrial Papers

  • Width:
    • Varies widely, typically 36 to 120 inches, for use in construction or industrial wrapping.
  • Diameter:
    • Large rolls with diameters up to 60 inches for durability in heavy-duty applications.

Factors Influencing Roll Size

  1. Application:
    • Printing applications require precision widths for compatibility with presses and printers.
    • Packaging and industrial uses often demand larger widths and diameters for high-volume production.
  2. Machinery Specifications:
    • Each machine has a maximum width, core size, and diameter it can handle.
  3. Efficiency:
    • Larger rolls reduce downtime by minimizing roll changes during production.
  4. Customization:
    • Many industries require custom roll sizes to match specific production needs.

Conclusion

Paper roll sizes vary based on industry-specific requirements:

  • Newspaper printing demands wide, lightweight rolls for continuous high-speed output.
  • Packaging requires rolls of various widths and diameters for wrapping, cushioning, or corrugated production.
  • Tissue manufacturing utilizes jumbo parent rolls for efficient conversion into consumer-sized products.