selection of materials or components

Question 1

paper and board purposes

Answer 1

• packaging
• drawing and sketching
• modelling

Question 2

paper and board selection criteria

Answer 2

• how easy it is to recycle
• how expensive it is
• what it will be used for
• if it had special properties

Question 3

why is recycling paper and board important?

Answer 3

• to make paper, deforestation occurs and harmful chemicals like bleach are used
• so by recycling this can be reduced

Question 4

criteria to select

Answer 4

• functionality: application of use and demands that will be made on the material, it must have properties to do its job, ease of working with e.g no knots
• aesthetics: surface finish changes appearance whilst protecting, texture - how it feels when used, comfy or not, colour needs to match not clash
• environmental factors: recyclable or reused materials, how easy it is to extract and environmental impact of extracting, limit impact - biodegradable or renewable
• availability: ease of sourcing and purchase, widely available are ideal as you can obtain quick and easy, if not seasonal have to wait longer, cheaper especially in stock form, more expensive to get other forms
• cost: bulk buying can allow manufacturers to produce products at a lower cost by negotiating prices, buy cheap materials if cheap product then maximise profit, mass production over one-off
• social factors: social responsibility, have to act in a way that benefits society, don’t just buy cheapest e.g use fairtrade, consider ages and inclusivity, people concerned with planet and unethical working conditions
• cultural factors: sensitive to cultural influences, e.g chinese see red as good luck but parts of africa view it as a colour of mourning, depends on target audience
• ethical factors: purchased from ethical sources like FSC

Question 5

paper and board properties

Answer 5

• flexibility and rigidity: need paper that can be bent and folded without breaking but rigid enough to keep shape e.g corrugated cardboard in packaging
• toxicity and sustainability: recycled paper and board containing chemicals shouldn’t be used as food packaging
• strength and weight: some materials can withstand force so good for packaging, but stronger usually more bulky which can impact transport costs
• cost and quality: expensive paper and board makes a product feels more high-quality
• finish: solid white board has good surface for printing

Question 6

choosing material for card based food packaging

Answer 6

• needs to be printable so customer can see advertising and nutritional value
• needs to be waterproof and airtight to prevent food from going bad
• aluminium foil and board keeps flavours in and air out, can print graphics on
• duplex board used as it is strong and easy to print on
• corrugated cardboard for pizza boxes as strong enough to withstand impact of stacking and transport, thick so retains heat

Question 7

choosing material for flyers and leaflets

Answer 7

• need to be produced cheaply and large quantities
• quality of print doesn’t need to be high
• printed on cheap, low gsm paper
• for classier products may be printed on heavier, higher quality paper
• biodegradable paper work well as often dropped or thrown away or unbleached paper