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[MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Sept. 19, 2005] – International Paper recently announced to its North American customers that its entire range of uncoated freesheet papers for imaging, commercial printing, envelopes and forms would be improved to a new standard of whiteness and brightness. The company is also transitioning the way it describes its products from the old GE brightness standard to the CIE whiteness scale.
"At International Paper we are initiating this improvement for our customers because we believe whiteness is the best descriptor of the appearance of paper," said Rick Hartman, director of product development for International Paper. "This change will also put us in line with papers that are produced around the world." Globally brightness is no longer a primary measure for paper; it has been replaced by CIE whiteness.
In the U.S., brightness is the traditional measured value that appears on most reams of paper. "The GE brightness measures only a portion of reflected light," said Hartman. "It was originally designed to quantify pulp bleaching, and for the lack of another method it was adopted to measure paper brightness." Whiteness was developed as a single value to describe the appearance and appeal of paper. It is more accurate than brightness with regard to the human perception of shade.
For uniformity across all uncoated white paper grades, International Paper has set its standard at CIE 145 whiteness. "International Paper’s introduction of whiteness through its proprietary VIP Technologies™ assures the highest benefit under the most economical conditions," added Hartman. "Look for our new papers and see the whiteness improvement for yourself."
International Paper (http://www.internationalpaper.com) is the world's largest paper and forest products company. Businesses include paper, packaging, and forest products. As one of the largest private forest landowners in the world, the company manages its forests under the principles of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative program, a system that ensures the continual planting, growing and harvesting of trees while protecting wildlife, plants, soil, air and water quality. Headquartered in the United States, International Paper has operations in over 40 countries and sells its products in more than 120 nations. | 
