Why does paper yellow?

Inspiration

Why does paper yellow?

When Bill showed us a yellowed page of newsprint from the ’60s for a recent show and tell session, we realized that, though we’re graphic designers that specialize in print, we couldn’t explain why the yellowing process happens. Why does paper turn yellow with age? After a bit of research, we’ve found the answer to quell our curiosity.

A substance called “lignin” is a component of wood which strengthens trees and keeps them upright. Because paper is made from wood, lignin is present in paper, too, but in varying amounts. Cardboard has a high amount of lignin, giving it its brown colour and stiffness. Cheaper paper like newsprint tends to not have as much lignin removed as better quality paper, which goes through a more-extensive removal process. Since lignin oxidizes when exposed to oxygen and sunlight, turning it a yellow-brown, paper containing enough lignin changes accordingly in hue over time.

Related Posts

Yoga in the Workplace: Stepping Away From the Desk

In a time when more and more of our activities take place at computers and on the internet, studies are finding that our increasingly-stationary way of life has detrimental effects on our health, while regular movement and variety of positions are being prescribed as ways of lessening such effects. Similarly, focusing on work for extended periods without breaks can actually decrease productivity, and taking breaks can be mentally beneficial, as well.

Design Fuel

Although we’re mostly seated, design can be mentally draining, and each of us have foods and drinks that give us much-needed energy and comfort throughout our busy days. Leaving aside our common forays into the ever-bountiful cookie jar, here are our favourite quotidian foods and drinks.

Didi & Dusty

Sometimes our show and tell sessions yield gems from our non-work lives, and Darien’s recent contribution was just that. He’s given us glimpses before of his and his friend’s drag photography—wherein they go by the names Didi and Dusty, respectively—which evokes both the glamour and paradoxical alienation of Hollywood stars from the ’40s and ’50s.

Our Neighbourhood, the Garment District

The Garment District has been our home for 14 years now, since moving to 35 Camden St. in 2005. Located between Bathurst Street & Spadina Avenue and Queen & King Streets, it’s a vibrant neighbourhood with a rich history and a lively future.