According to the Russian National Standard, we divide office paper into three grades, depending on the intended use and the set of quality indicators:

- Grade A – for single-sided and double-sided printing at any speed of copying and printing equipment

- Grade B – for single-sided and double-sided printing at speeds up to 100 copies per minute

- Grade C – for single-sided and double-sided printing at speeds up to 50 copies per minute

In international practice, there is no single classification and standard for office paper. No clear criteria have been established for the classification of office paper into different grades; each manufacturer defines its own classification in its regulatory documents (A, A++, B, C+, etc.).

Some of the key characteristics of office paper are: thickness, opacity, moisture content and whiteness.

Paper thickness is defined as the perpendicular distance between two opposing surfaces.

Thickness is one of the important characteristics of paper that affects such characteristics as bending stiffness, which in turn has a certain impact on the passage of paper in the copier. Paper with a low thickness tends to have insufficient bending stiffness, and there is a risk that paper will crumple and jam when passing through office equipment. Papers with a high thickness value are more rigid. Their relative rigidity increases the likelihood of jamming because paper cannot bend properly as it passes around the rollers, drums, photoreceptor, rolls, and bending areas. A sufficient level of thickness for standard 80 g/m² office papers is at least 100 microns.

Moisture is the amount of water contained in paper. Moisture content is an important factor as moisture affects the processing, printing and copying processes. When electrographic (xerographic) printing is used, paper heats up during toner fusing, so if the moisture content exceeds 5.3%, paper will tend to curl and become wavy, double-sided printing will not be possible and print quality will deteriorate. Moisture directly affects the electrical conductivity of paper. In addition, moisture content also affects the dimensional stability of paper. 4.0–5.2% is the optimal range for moisture content of office papers.

Opacity. With double-sided printing, it is very important that paper is opaque. The opacity of paper should be at least 90% to ensure that paper has the desired property of transmitting as little light as possible so that the text or other visual elements on paper would not be not visible or show through on the other side of the sheet.

Whiteness can be described as the ability of paper to reflect all colors of the spectrum equally.
This means that paper diffusely reflects light at all wavelengths throughout the visible spectrum. Truly white sheet of paper has a high degree of reflectivity and will not absorb one wavelength more than another. The whiteness value, determined in accordance with the requirements of the International Commission on Illumination (CIE), corresponds to the visual perception of white paper, with or without fluorescent brightening agents, observed under a daylight source (for example, C/2° or D65/10°). All optical performance measurements are highly dependent on the light source and observer. The light source is standardized to a specific temperature value (“light temperature”), defined in degrees Kelvin (K). Since natural daylight has a variable spectrum depending on time of day, location, weather and other influencing factors, standard daylight sources have been created to ensure that standard and reproducible conditions are met.

The production of high-quality papers in Russia has traditionally been associated with JSC SLPK, and quality improvement has always been a priority for the company’s development.

Snegurochka paper is produced on the most modern equipment, using high-quality raw materials and necessary components. Strict quality control of the entire technological chain, a high level of technical specialists’ competence, constant development of technology and quality improvement, with environmental aspects taken into account, give our company the opportunity to produce paper for office equipment that meets international quality standards. Snegurochka paper is solely produced of cellulose fibres, which ensures high light fastness and long-term protection against fading. Snegurochka paper is absolutely universal; it is designed for printing on laser, inkjet printers, copiers, and MFPs.

Snegurochka office paper is surface-sized (polymer-coated). Binding agents are used to increase the binding forces between the fibers and to strengthen the paper. By bonding the fibers together, these substances increase the internal strength of paper and eliminate dusting and picking of individual fibers. Surface sizing improves the physical, mechanical, adsorbing and printing properties of paper.

The use of high quality raw materials and control over the levels of resins and other inclusions in the Snegurochka paper manufacturing process ensures the maximum life of your office equipment.

Our softwood and hardwood pulp is bleached using ECF (Elemental Chlorine Free) technology. The process of pulp bleaching is accomplished through the use of chlorine dioxide and the oxygen-alkali bleaching stage.

The introduction of ECF technology for pulp bleaching is primarily aimed at improving the environmental aspects of paper production:

- Reduction of highly toxic compounds (chlorine dioxide) in wastewater.

- Significant reduction in fresh water consumption.

- Increasing the overall industrial safety of the enterprise and nearby communities.

- Production of cardboard and paper products fax on strict international environmental standards existing in the global practice of the pulp and paper industry.

When producing sheet products, paper is packaged in reams of 500 sheets. The permissible deviation in the number of sheets should not exceed ±1% of the standard. These requirements are regulated in the industry standard for office paper, section 4.3 Packaging.

When producing paper packs on the sizing lines, a target of 500 sheets/ream is set. In some packs the number of sheets is 498, this is due to the fact that paper is cut from 6 mother rolls on two production lines. Accordingly, the number of sheets in a ream will be a multiple of 6. If you check a larger number of reams, you will find that the number of sheets in other reams equals 504. Thus, the number of sheets in reams of office paper can be 498, 500, 504.