Paper is the largest single component of municipal solid waste, and the recycling of paper must be part of any resolution to the current garbage crisis. Because there are no uniform standards for the generic term "recycled," it is still difficult for paper users to make environmentally responsible purchasing decisions. Myths, misinformation, and confusion abound. This first comprehensive guide to recycled printing and writing papers will therefore be an invaluable resource for anyone involved with printing, production, design, or issues of recycling in general. The book itself, printed on four different types of recycled paper, is a demonstration of the quality that informed designers and publishers can achieve.

In concise, nontechnical language, Claudia Thompson explains the dimensions of the solid waste problem, the history of papermaking, the elements of recycled paper production (including current definitions and standards), the physical properties and printing characteristics of recycled papers, the potential impact of designers on recycling, and possibilities for the future.

Recycled Papers: The Essential Guide was sponsored by the American Institute of Graphic Arts under the direction of Claudia Thompson, a graphic designer and Principal of Claudia Thompson Design in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Ms. Thompson's work on environmental issues started with the first Earth Day in 1970, and she has been researching the subject of recycled papers since 1988.