Glassine

Glassine is a very thin, smooth, air and water resistant type of paper.

Glassine is generally translucent unless dyes are added to color the paper or make it opaque. It is manufactured by a process called calendering; after pulping and drying, the sheets are pressed through rollers such that the paper fibers flatten out facing in the same direction. In order to maximize the smoothness and thinness of the paper, glassine must go through this process several times, and so is referred to as supercalendered.

Glassine has myriad practical uses. It is frequently employed as an interleaving paper in bookbinding, especially for illustrations; the paper can be manufactured with a neutral pH, and can prevent damage from spilling, exposure, or rubbing. Glassine tape has also been used in book repair. In chemistry, glassine is used as an inexpensive weighing paper. It is also used in foodservice as a barrier between strips of products (e.g. meat, baked goods); glassine is resistant to grease and facilitates separation of individual foodstuffs.

Philatelists use glassine envelopes to store stamps, and stamp hinges are sometimes made of glassine. Such envelopes have also been employed for carrying drugs such as cocaine and heroin [cite web
url = http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/states/newsrel/nyc112806a.html
title = 60,000 Glassine Bags of Heroin Seized in Westchester
date = 2006-11-28
publisher = DEA
quote = Law enforcement officers arrested Thevenin at that location and recovered two boxes containing approximately 60,000 individually packaged glassines of heroin.] [cite web
url = http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/states/newsrel/2008/nwk080408.html
title = DEA 'Brand' Used to Market Heroin
accessdate = 2008-09-01
date = 2008-08-04
publisher = DEA
quote = the DEA raided NUNEZ’s residence in the early hours of July 31, where heroin glassine bags (used to package heroin) were found that contained the official DEA Agency emblem.] . In the mid-20th century, potato chips were sometimes packaged in glassine bags. Glassine is sometimes used in the packaging of firecrackers.

External links

* [http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-glassine.htm What Is Glassine?]

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