German paper manufacturer Hahnemühle has developed a hybrid printing paper made from hemp fibres that it says is particularly suited to digital printing of books.

To be presented at the Frankfurt Book Fair (20 – 24 October 2021), the uncoated paper is claimed to be world first and to be specifically designed for high speed inkjet  and other digital printing technologies, in addition to offset.

‘It is the first paper made from sustainable hemp fibres grown in Europe for environmentally conscious print products. It captivates with the authenticity and haptics of a paper made from sustainable hemp fibres. Hahnemühle Hemp paper delivers outstanding results in text, photo and image printing for authors, agencies, print providers and publishers,’ said Heidemarie Hinger, product and business development manager at Hahnemühle.

The paper was developed exclusively for printing the book H is for Hemp‘, an innovative hemp encyclopaedia by photographer and author Maren Krings, who commented that it has ‘a beautiful tactile and sensory experience and [gave] the book a fresh and completely new look.’

Hahnemühle Hemp digital printing paper features ‘inimitable’ structure, and is acid-free and therefore highly resistant to ageing, as well as being vegan. It is available as cover and content paper in 280 and 80gsm respectively. Hahnemühle Hemp is offered in up to 127cm rolls. Hahnemühle recommends it for for HP Indigo sheet-fed digital presses and HP PageWide web presses, among others.

Hahnemühle also offers Cold Pressed Art Paper 250 for digital book printing, which has received the maximum quality certification from HP Indigo. It says this is the first certified FineArt paper worldwide for digital book printing.