Tissue Box Gets a Makeover

To show how everyday packaging can be transformed from plain to stylish, Sheer Veneer, a maker of fine wood paper, applied its product to a tissue box. The results (shown) are nothing to sneeze at. The company's ultra-thin cherry wood veneer paper was laminated to a paperboard carton (MeadWestvaco .015 C1/S) to demonstrate how something as ubiquitous and mature as a tissue box could be rejuvenated into a new decorative and functional product for the home or hospitality industry.

Outlook Graphics, Neenah, WI, printed the Caribbean map on 30×40´´ sheets of Sheer Veneer .006 Cherry on a Komori 44´´ 6-color UV press and converted them into a final carton including insertion of the tissue. Trinova Design, Appleton, WI, reformatted the image to fit the cube's dimensions.

Sheer Veneer produces its ultra-thin 100% real hardwood veneer—available in Maple, Cherry and Birch versions—as thin as .006´´ across, on a 60´´ web in a natural method that only uses water. The company peels wood from hardwood logs using a proprietary system. It is then roll laminated to another substrate to support the wood and prepare it for its final application in a sheeted or roll format; different backing options are available, including a two-sided wood product.

The company says the product is easy on the environment. All wood waste is recycled, and Sheer Veneer requires 1 ton of wood to produce 1 ton of product, whereas paper's ratio is 4:1. www.sheerveneer.com