What began as a search for a better receipt paper resulted in the invention of an office productivity phenomenon that continues to be an indispensable part of the business world, even in today’s digital age. Sixty years ago, the Appleton Coated Paper Co. (today’s Appvion Inc.) helped to introduce the first carbonless paper. It was known then, as it is today, as the NCR PAPER brand of carbonless paper. The product was simply promoted as a new paper product that "eliminates carbon paper." Some dubbed it the "no carbon required" paper. The first commercial sale took place on March 26, 1954.
NCR PAPER brand carbonless paper has been exclusively manufactured by Appvion since 1954. The company has sold more than 14 million tons of the product since it was introduced.
Carbonless paper revolutionized the forms industry by eliminating the mess and bother of carbon interleaves. Forms transactions became easier, faster, and cleaner for businesses, institutions, and government and service organizations of all kinds.
"What started as a niche product soon transformed the business forms industry," said Andi Peeters, Appvion’s division director for carbonless and specialty papers. "Sixty years later, carbonless paper continues to play a key role in communicating business information."
One way Appvion has helped carbonless paper maintain its relevance is by adapting it to new applications such as an array of digital and electronic equipment. Digital carbonless paper is ideally suited to produce on-demand multipart forms such as medical forms, credit applications, invoices, routing and packaging slips, and purchase orders via digital and laser printers.
"Many people simply prefer the look, feel, convenience, mobility and security of a printed carbonless form. Our challenge, as it has been for the past 60 years, is to continue to provide carbonless products that make life easier and more efficient for our customers," Peeters said. "We are dedicated to continuing our level of success and support."
As Appvion explains, the carbonless system consists of liquid dye and oil-filled microcapsules dispersed within a solid coating. In a typical three-part business form, three kinds of carbonless paper work together as a system to transfer images cleanly and clearly from one sheet to the next. The top sheet is a CB (coated back) sheet, the back of which is covered with a coating made of millions of microscopic capsules containing colorless dyes.
The last sheet is a CF (coated front) sheet coated on its front side with a coreactant or receiver material. The middle sheet is a CFB (coated front and back) sheet, front-coated with receiver materials and back-coated with dye capsules. As pressure from a pen or printer is applied to the top sheet, the dye capsules on the CB surface break and interact with the CF receiver coating to develop a black or blue image on each copy.
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