The Foundation of Good Design

that is how little a square meter of Beaver Paper sublimation paper weighs. And not only is the lightweight material unrivaled in the industry, but a new version of it is expected to ensure improved color reproduction and even faster drying. Whether this is borne out in real-life applications is something that the papermaker, which has been part of the Koehler Group since 2020, is currently testing together with Sublitex. The latter – headquartered in the Piedmontese town of Alba in Italy – is one of the world’s leading printing companies specializing in sublimation transfer printing on a variety of surfaces, and celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2026. With its unique expertise, Sublitex prints designs on over 60 million square meters of substrates and surfaces every year. “The printing method we use is not only tremendously cost-effective, but also sustainable, using zero water and very little energy,” explains Sublitex CEO Giuseppe Lano.

When Sublitex was founded in 1976, no one was thinking of environmental protection yet. “We were ahead of the times,” Lano says. Back then, the company was printing designs on transfer paper for textiles, but its range of operations has since expanded. Today, Sublitex also offers its own designs and fabrics. In addition, the company is also active in the architectural sector, particularly with products used to decorate aluminum. Nevertheless, the company’s core business continues to consist of selling paper with printed designs for sublimated printing applications involving fashion, decor design, and sportswear. So where does the actual paper come from? Beaver Paper. “We have machines that enable us to meet all of the market’s needs,” Lano explains. In addition to gravure printing presses, Sublitex acquired its first digital printers around 15 years ago. “Today, we use the most powerful digital printing machinery available on the market.”

Sublitex owes its global industry-leading position to its machinery, know-how, and tremendous production capacities. It is against this backdrop that paper plays a vital role in delivering the best possible results. “New designs come with new requirements,” the CEO explains. Sportswear is a prime example: Demand for it has been continuously increasing for years now, and it keeps taking up a greater and greater percentage of the textiles that are decorated with sublimation printing. In addition, the designs keep getting more colorful, meaning that the sublimation paper used needs to be able to absorb a constantly growing amount of dye. “The market changes every year,” Lano explains, “and new designs obviously entail new requirements for the paper we use.”

“When it comes to raw materials, paper is absolutely the most important one for Sublitex,” Raffaele Guzzon explains. Guzzon is the Purchasing and Sustainability Manager at the Miroglio Group, to which Sublitex belongs. He goes on to recount his skepticism regarding the ability of Beaver Paper’s lighter paper to meet Sublitex’s demanding requirements: “We were used to paper that weighs 45 grams per square meter.” However, comprehensive testing showed that the lighter paper was, at the very least, the absolute equal of heavier paper, both in terms of printing results and processing. Accordingly, Sublitex has been using Beaver Paper’s lightweight paper since 2021.

“We’re always doing our best to make sure our products help customers achieve their goals,” explains Beaver Paper CEO Tobias Sternbeck. “In this context, sustainability continues to play an increasingly important role.” And this applies to Sublitex too.

The company has not only been traditionally focused on environmentally friendly sublimation printing, but today generates 35% of its own power with a photovoltaic system. Moreover, it has set itself the goal of reducing its CO2 emissions by 30% in three years. Beaver Paper’s paper can help in this regard: “Our paper is not just lighter, but also thinner,” Sternbeck explains. “That means that in each packing unit for worldwide shipping, we can ship 625 meters instead of 500.” That not only cuts costs, it also saves energy and reduces emissions.”

“Beaver Paper’s paper really was the perfect choice for our needs,” Guzzon says. “Not just in regard to functionality and sustainability, but also in terms of cost-effectiveness.” Lano then adds that Beaver Paper provides extensive support when it comes to further improving its paper, and that he finds this invaluable: “They’re always there for us when we have new requirements” Sternbeck confirms that the two companies are on the same wavelength: “Everyone at Sublitex truly gets just how important testing is,” he says. Accordingly, the team at Sublitex always makes sure that Beaver Paper has adequate time and support when it comes to testing new paper for real-life applications. “I’ve been in the industry for quite a while now,” Sternbeck says, “and I’ve never seen any other company do the kind of comprehensive testing that Sublitex does.” He confidently adds: “When our paper is approved by them, it means it can do the job anywhere.”