The results are in. Paper containing 30 percent postconsumer fiber works without problems. As long ago as 1998, three office equipment manufacturers (Canon U.S.A., Inc., Hewlett-Packard Company, and Lexmark International, Inc.) and the U.S. Government Printing Office evaluated the quality and performance of multipurpose recycled content copy paper containing high levels of postconsumer fiber. Over two million sheets were tested on various types and models of copiers, laser printers, and ink jet printers.
They successfully tested:
- Paper feeding
- Reliability
- Image quality
- Toner fixability
- Smoothness
- Curl, among other characteristics
They found that multi-purpose recycled content paper containing 30% postconsumer fiber works fine in office equipment. In the meantime, Buyers Laboratory (BLI) has been independently testing hundreds of new copier, printer, fax and multi-function products (MFP) each year for over 50 years. They use millions of sheets of 30% - 100% postconsumer recycled content paper as part of their evaluations. They annually award performance certifications to numerous recycled paper manufacturers whose papers have proved to be highly reliable with negligible mis-feeding, no multi-sheet feeding and no problems related to image quality, dusting or curl. So, now there are no more excuses.