We see it every day. We read from it, and use it as table coverings and for murals. What is it? Newsprint!

Newsprint refers to the specific type of paper used to publish newspapers. It is thin enough to be economically produced, but thick enough to be printed on both sides. It is a relatively cheap grade of paper, but one whose production is reasonably environmentally sound.

Newsprint is produced at mills throughout the world, using very much the same process everywhere. Before recycling was widely practiced, newspaper was made mostly of wood pulp. However, innovative minds have created ways for newsprint mills to manufacture the paper using recycled newspapers and even residual chips, dust and pieces from local sawmills. Many newsprint mills also recycle their water, which makes them less of a burden on the environment.

Many people buy "endrolls" of newsprint from the local newspaper office. The pressroom usually has several dozen feet of paper left over after a press run, and selling it is another way to reduce waste. The rolls come into the newspaper warehouse first on 18-wheelers.

A roll of newsprint is about one meter (3.3 feet) tall and weighs anywhere between 800 and 900 pounds (300-400 kg). A roll of newsprint averages about 35,800 linear feet (10,912 meters) of paper. It is priced by the ton.

The paper, wound around sturdy cardboard cylinders, is carried into the pressroom with a front-end loader. A metal rod is pushed through the hole in the middle of the cylinder, with both ends sticking out. A winch lifts the huge rolls into position on the press, and the ends are threaded through the rollers.

Often considered a famous liner for birdcages, newsprint has a variety of uses other than for printing the news. It is good for picnic table covers, a variety of crafts including papier mache, kids' drawing or painting paper, packing material, wrapping paper and a host of other uses.

Because it is of a lower quality than most book paper, newsprint has some disadvantages. It is fragile and discolors easily. It does not preserve well, and so is not suitable for long-term archives. It is also easily torn, and when wet, tends to dissolve right back into the pulp from whence it came.

Depending on the press a newspaper has, it may also suffer from "web breaks." These two words strike fear into the hearts of every newspaper company. The paper is often suspended between rollers, and the suspended portion is the web. If the web breaks, the press must be stopped, the torn edges found, trimmed and pasted back together, and then the press must be restarted. In other words, a web break eats up precious press time and delays the carriers from getting their papers delivered on time.

Newsprint is the backbone of a newspaper, and feeling a crisp, just-off-the-press newspaper is a joy to all who have printer's ink in their blood.