Fred Flintstone might have been relegated to carving words out in stone to get his message across, but the printing industry could soon be following suit. Ogami, a Milan-based company has created Repap, a new material for paper. Rather than being made from trees, this is made from stone.

According to an article on PSFK Labs website, Repap can be written on just like regular paper. It is made from calcium carbonate and non-toxic resins that are bonded together in a way that creates smooth, natural paper-like material. By being 100 percent free of tree materials, there is no water used in the process and no need for bleaching or dyeing.

“Repap is not sandpaper, it is not gritty and if you didn’t know it, you might think you were writing on ‘tree-paper’ but stone paper provides all the convenience: recyclable, archival, foldable and tearable with added bonuses such as being water-resistant and wipeable,” explained PSFK.

Calcium carbonate is not a stranger to print.  As Wired explained, the material was previously used as a filter and a coating pigment to produce whiter, brighter, glossier paper. Repap on the other hand takes the product for the heart of its design, comprising 80 percent of its composition.

Currently, books are not being printed on the material. Ogami has created a line of notebooks, similar to Moleskins – small notebooks, planners and diaries.

Keep documents protected, regardless of their material

While not every business might be ready to embrace stone paper, there are still ways to invest in print that can keep a company competitive. Durability and organization are crucial to daily operations, so having custom presentation binders can ensure that documents are bound together in a professional manner.

Along with laminating machines, which will cover important photos or pages and give them more longevity, any organization can protect their printed materials.