Humidification in the Paper and Pulp Industry

Q: Are Condair humidifiers energy-efficient and easy to maintain?

Yes. Condair humidifiers are designed for low energy use and minimal maintenance. Water treatment, automatic flushing, and hygienic disinfection reduce scaling, extending system life and lowering running costs while maintaining precise humidity control for consistent paper quality.

Q: How can humidification improve paper quality and reduce waste?

Stable humidity prevents fibre deformation, keeping the paper’s dimensions consistent. This reduces cutting and alignment errors, rejects, and machine stoppages. Customers typically see fewer defects and smoother operation, leading to improved yield and lower waste across production lines.

Q: How can humidity be effectively controlled in paper manufacturing?

Effective humidity control in paper manufacturing relies on maintaining stable relative humidity. A balanced airflow and humidification strategy keeps humidity consistent year-round. Monitoring ensures 50–55% RH, preventing deformation, static and quality issues while supporting efficient production.

Q: How does low humidity cause static electricity in paper handling?

At humidity levels below 45% RH, the air becomes dry enough for static charges to build up. These charges cause sheets to stick together, disrupt feeding and stacking machinery, and create safety risks for operators. Controlled humidification neutralises static and ensures smooth, reliable handling.

Q: What is the ideal humidity level for paper and pulp production?

The ideal relative humidity in paper and pulp production is typically between 50 % and 55 % RH at around 20–25 °C. This balance prevents moisture loss from the paper fibres while avoiding condensation or over-humidification that could damage the material or equipment.

Q: Why is humidity control important in paper manufacturing?

Humidity control is crucial because paper is hygroscopic, absorbing and releasing moisture from the air. When humidity drops below 50% RH, paper loses moisture, causing shrinkage and curling. Maintaining 50–55% RH keeps paper flat, stable, and easy to process during cutting, printing, and packaging.

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Benefits

Learn the benefits of controlling humidity in paper and pulp manufacturing industries.

Stable production quality

Maintain 50–55%RH to keep paper flat, flexible and dimensionally stable.

Complete humidity control

Reliable humidity control keeping paper production efficient, stable and cost-effective.

Energy-efficient control

Low-energy humidifiers with minimal service needs for steady uptime.

Humidification in the paper and pulp industry

Top of page Benefits Use Cases References Testimonials FAQs

Controlled humidity keeps paper stable and flexible

Paper and board are hygroscopic materials that absorb and release moisture depending on the surrounding air. When humidity falls below 50% RH, paper loses moisture and begins to shrink, curl or warp, causing dimensional instability, registration errors and packaging issues. The ideal humidity for paper production is around 50–55% RH at 20–25 °C, which keeps fibres balanced and paper dimensionally stable through all stages of production – from drying and cutting to winding and packing. Below 45% RH, static electricity builds up, resulting in misfeeds, jams and operator discomfort.

Condair’s humidity control systems automatically maintain the optimal RH through precise sensors and responsive regulation. This stabilises the production environment, reduces rejects, lowers waste and ensures consistent paper quality, while also supporting efficient, reliable operation and continuous uptime.

Hygienic and energy-efficient uptime

Condair’s humidification systems are designed to deliver both energy efficiency and hygienic performance. By combining precise humidity control with advanced water treatment and automatic cleaning functions, the systems operate cleanly and reliably over long periods. Effective water treatment prevents scale formation, protects equipment from wear and maintains consistent system performance with minimal maintenance.

These features support continuous operation and reduce overall energy consumption while ensuring high air quality. For the paper industry, this results in fewer production interruptions, lower operational costs and improved working conditions. By maintaining balanced humidity levels, Condair helps create a stable and efficient production environment where paper quality stays consistent, machinery runs smoothly and downtime is kept to an absolute minimum.

Reliable humidity control from design to service

Condair provides complete humidity control solutions covering consultancy, system design, installation, commissioning and lifetime maintenance. Every solution is tailored to the specific requirements of each paper or pulp facility, taking into account process temperature, water quality, air distribution and hygiene demands.

With global experience and strong local support, Condair ensures reliable performance under real production conditions. The design team assists consultants and plant engineers with system sizing, duct layout, technology selection and service planning. Built for low maintenance and long operational life, Condair systems keep production stable with fewer interruptions and reduced service costs. This allows manufacturers to maintain high productivity while Condair ensures consistent air quality and reliable humidity control throughout the plant.

Use cases

Prevent evaporative losses

Organic materials have an internal moisture content and will lose moisture to the atmosphere when exposed to air with a low humidity. Humidifiers are used to create an environment with perfect balance between the material’s internal moisture content and the air’s relative humidity.

Anti-Static and ESD Prevention

Low humidity increases static build-up because dry air is an insulator, making electrostatic discharge (ESD) more likely. Maintaining 40–60% relative humidity helps dissipate charges and significantly reduces ESD risk.

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Projects and references

Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG, Wiesloch

At the Print Media Center (PMC) Commercial and Packaging, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG in Wiesloch-Walldorf, Germany, operates the world's largest demonstration center for commercial and packaging printing. Since 2015 Condair spray humidifiers have been proving how important optimal humidity is for performance and a trouble-free printing process. In the PMC Commercial, Condair spray humidifiers ensure an optimal climate for individual customer demonstrations. "Our demonstrations have to work exactly as planned: Edge curl, dishing or electrostatic charges on the paper must not occur," explains Roland Krapp, Head of the Print Media Center.

Preston Sp. zÂ o.o., Poznan (Poland)

A constant relative humidity of 50 per cent ensures that Preston Packaging’s printing process runs smoothly, without any material distortion, and with a high degree of registration accuracy during the subsequent die-cutting and gluing stages.

EPDB NyomtatÃ¡si Központ Zrt., Budapest (Hungary)

Speed and reliability are the biggest challenges for EPDB. To achieve this, the digital printing presses require optimal humidity levels.

WERNER KENKEL Sp. z o.o., Krzycko Wielkie (Poland)

For packaging manufacturer Werner Kenkel, controlled humidity has a direct impact on production and quality assurance. More speed, consistent quality and less waste are the most important advantages.

Varga Nyomda, Eger (Hungary)

As a Hungarian family business, Varga Nyomda specializes in the production of high-quality labels for the wine industry. Controlled humidity makes an important contribution to this.

Gelbert ECOPrint, Budapest (Hungary)

Reduced static electricity and less paper warping are the benefits of controlled humidity at Gelbert. Humidifying the air directly in the room ensures optimum humidity levels.

Khatema Fibres Ltd

Khatema Fibres Ltd manufacture a wide range of eco-friendly industrial papers to suit a variety of applications and requirements. A JetSpray humidification system from Condair is helping Khatema Fibres Ltd to maintain the ideal paper environment.

Paperworks Industries

Paperworks Industries is a leader in the paperboard industry.

AstenJohnson

AstenJohnson is a global manufacturer for the paper industry, supplying paper machine clothing like press fabrics, forming fabrics, dryer fabrics, and other advanced filtration fabrics to paper mills and pulp mills around the world.