Xerox Corp. on Monday unveiled a new paper it says uses half as many trees as traditional paper and reduces mailing costs.
The office equipment maker's new paper for digital printing uses pulp that is produced by grinding wood into papermaking pulp instead of using the more widespread chemical pulping process.
Xerox also says its new paper uses 90 percent of a tree, twice the proportion typically used to manufacture paper for digital printers. It also requires less water and fewer chemicals and is produced in a plant using hydroelectricity to partially power the pulping process, reducing the reliance on fossil fuels.
The paper, targeted to printers and other large-volume customers that print business statements, manuals, bills, directories and other products, resists curling and dust that have prevented mechanical fiber papers from being used with digital printers.
About 1 trillion sheets of paper are used for digital printers and copiers in the U.S. each year, Xerox said.
The paper "delivers an environmentally friendly option with increased savings to our customers," said Steve Simpson, vice president and general manager of Xerox's paper and supplies business unit.
The lighter weight of high-yield business paper also promises lower shipping costs.