From Fibre to Finished Product
The Milling
Process
Every bag we produce passes through the same sequence of steps it did in 1922 — refined, not replaced, by a century of accumulated knowledge.
Six Stages of Craft
Fibre Sourcing
We source 100% post-consumer recycled paper fibre — primarily from collected corrugated and mixed paper streams. Our procurement team audits each supplier annually for chain-of-custody certification, ensuring every batch meets our quality threshold before it enters the mill.
Pulping & Cleaning
Incoming fibre is hydrapulped — broken down in water to form a slurry — then passed through a multi-stage cleaning system to remove contaminants. Our original 1922 Hollander beater still operates alongside modern pressurised screens, combining heritage method with contemporary efficiency.
Sheet Forming
The cleaned pulp — at approximately 0.5% consistency — is distributed evenly across our Fourdrinier wire. Water drains through gravity and vacuum, forming a continuous web of paper. Basis weight is controlled to tolerances of ±2gsm, whether we are producing 70gsm tissue or 170gsm premium board.
Drying & Calendering
The wet web passes over a series of steam-heated drying cylinders, reducing moisture content from 80% to around 6%. A soft-nip calender then presses the sheet to the required smoothness and caliper — a critical step for print receptivity and fold-crack resistance in the finished bag.
Printing & Finishing
In-house flexographic printing in up to six colours, with Pantone-matched inks and optional water-based varnish. For luxury clients, we offer foil-blocking and embossing via our registered converting partners. Proofs are supplied digitally and as physical press proofs before full-run approval.
Bag Making & Dispatch
Printed reels are slit and fed to our automatic bag-making lines. Handles — twisted paper rope, flat die-cut, or ribbon — are attached and glued under tension. Each production run is sampled every 200 units for handle-pull strength and base-seal integrity before palletising for dispatch.
Quality Assurance
Built to Last,
Made to Perform
Every production run at Stonehouse is supported by in-line quality checks and a dedicated QA team operating to ISO 9001:2015. Our bags are tested for handle tensile strength, base-seal integrity, and paper burst resistance before leaving the mill.
ISO
9001:2015 Certified
±2
gsm tolerance
6
colour flexo print