Introduction

The Blue4est® thermal paper is more commonly used for POS checkout rolls or as a paper-based label material (known as facestock) for the new generation of eco-friendly labels, but now renowned artist Jean Coulon is also using it to create art. Koehler Paper, part of the Koehler Group and a leading manufacturer of thermal paper, is delighted to see its paper being used for such a wide range of applications.

The blue color of our exceptional Blue4est® paper makes it an ideal color carrier

Jean Coulon is a painter, sculptor, and ceramicist who has discovered thermal paper and, more recently, Blue4est® paper for himself. The French artist first came into contact with thermal paper in his work around 20 years ago.
He explains: “Thermal paper is a very innovative material and I wanted to test its potential. By experimenting with a range of processing techniques and tools which contain different heat sources, I wanted to highlight the contrast between the black that results from the reaction of the sensitive layer and the white color of the backing material.
I was immediately drawn to the intensity of this contrast, which can be compared to charcoal drawing or calligraphy.” This led the French artist to produce many works on white standard thermal paper.

Blue4est® thermal paper: physics instead of chemistry

The Blue4est® paper has no chemical developers, which not only means it is 100% recyclable, but also that it is approved for direct contact with food. It has been used as an eco-friendly alternative in the retail sector for some time now, in the form of checkout rolls for example. Unlike standard white thermal paper, with Blue4est®, the text is not produced through a chemical reaction to heat but rather using a purely physical reaction. An opaque functional layer on the paper becomes transparent when subjected to heat, which results in the black layer below becoming visible.
Compared to conventional thermal papers, the printed image of Blue4est® is also extremely resistant to environmental influences such as sunlight and moisture. Where printouts are stored in normal storage conditions, they remain legible for more than 35 years.