Paper made out of rocks?
Yup.
It’s called TerraSkin®.
MoMA has been using it for their gift shop packaging since 2006.
TerraSkin® begins and ends like this:
It’s basically post-industrial limestone or marble ground into a fine powder. It is mixed with a non-toxic resin, at an approximate ratio of 3:1, to make paper. When/if the paper needs to be recycled, it can be incinerated with no poisonous emissions.
The image above is actually the residue of several scraps that I burned.
It returns to its powdered, calcium carbonate state. That powder can either be returned to the earth or re-used for colored paper. It will also degrade to its original state if left outside for anywhere between three to nine months.
Not only is TerraSkin® tree-free, the process of combining the mineral powder and resin is water-free. Production of standard paper is one of the biggest generators of air and water pollutants, waste products and greenhouse gas (http://bit.ly/aXvyzq).
Of course, going green is like going on a diet. You’re not eating healthy if you’re eating taco salad. The same goes for what you put on your paper. Soy-based and low-VOC inks work exceptionally well on TerraSkin®. And with conventional printing ink, 20-30% less ink is necessary due to its absorption properties attributed to the lack of fiber (Diet. Fiber. Let’s not go there).
One remarkable feature of TerraSkin® is its unique texture. It feels like smooth stone. It seems to have a cooler temperature than paper. When you cut it with scissors, there’s no noise. Bizarre. And it cuts very easily which makes it great for die-cutting and, therefore, great packaging.
Here’s a simple box I created:
Writing with a pen is silent, as well. And smooth. There’s also a vibrance to the ink that you don’t get with regular paper. Markers leave minimal bleed.
TerraSkin® is water- and oil-resistant and, to a certain extent, tear-resistant. It’s ideal for adhesive labels and eliminates 80% of the plastic used to make them.
Due to its flexibility, it’s also ideal for embossing. I discovered that when I pressed on my pen as hard as I could to test it, and ended up with this:
It’s wonderful to find a product that’s eco-friendly, of great quality and just fun to play with.
I’m using it for Loose Canvas Design‘s first finished creation.
That will be available at this link:
http://www.loosecanvasdesign.com/project/print/bare
Thank you, to Lin Sanders at Design & Source Productions for the loads of TerraSkin®.
I’m having a great time with it!
Much of the information I collected for this post….and more, can be found at:
http://terraskin.com
http://www.mitzart.com/
See you tomorrow for ‘This Week’s Sweet Tweets’ and more about the limited edition print, ‘bare‘.
