The world's first hybrid hemp paper suitable for book and indigo printing will be presented in a book for the first time at the London Book Fair. Hahnemühle supports this 100% tree-free book with their own environmental initiative Green Rooster.
The world's first book printing paper made from hemp was developed by the innovative paper manufacturer Hahnemühle as a joint project with the photographer and environmental activist Maren Krings. Her book on the subject of industrial hemp, its history and use, led her to the German paper manufacturer Hahnemühle. The development of Hahnemühle's hemp paper and its production are exclusively presented in the book "H is for Hemp", along with exciting repro photographs illustrating Maren's adventures during her five-year journey around the world.
Over the course of 2020 and 2021, she spent a lot of time compiling all her photographs, knowledge and notes into this world's first book on the subject. "Hemp is a compass back to nature, showing us what a world could look like that is not based on money, but on nature again," explains Maren Krings. What is interesting is the narrative structure of the book, which, due to the non-linear theme, is not determined by a beginning and an end, but by the alphabet. The book can be used by the reader as an encyclopaedia, manual or interesting non-fiction book about industrial hemp and its uses.
Hahnemühle - as the inventor of hemp papers for drawing and photography - offers the hybrid hemp paper for offset and high-speed inkjet printing. It is an exciting new paper for the publishing industry at a time when printing paper is scarce and expensive. "It is the first paper made from sustainable hemp fibres grown in Europe for environmentally conscious print products. It captivates with the authenticity and feel of a paper made from sustainable plant fibres. The hybrid Hahnemühle hemp paper delivers outstanding results in text, photo and image printing for authors, agencies, print service providers and publishers," explains Jan Wölfle, CEO of the Hahnemühle Group.
Initially, Maren Krings used Hahnemühle Digital FineArt hemp paper for her photo exhibition 'Hemp's Potential' at the Hemp Museum in Amsterdam in September 2021. Krings' photographs testify to the vitality and diversity of the international hemp industry. Hahnemühle is supporting the exhibition and the world's first 100% tree-free book with its own Green Rooster environmental initiative, unique in the paper industry.
"H for Hemp" was printed on an HP PageWide and Indigo Commercial Press in collaboration with Elanders Germany. On an HP PageWide T250HD, Hybrid Hemp in 80 g/m2 rolls performed exceptionally well for the book's contents. The covers were printed in sheets on 280 gsm Hybrid Hemp paper on an HP Indigo sheet-fed digital press.
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