Tengujo Japanese Paper 18g · 46×69 cm

Tengujo Japanese Paper 18 gsm ART. 508 — 100% abaca

Tengujo 18 gsm in 100% abaca (Manila hemp, Musa textilis). This is the highest basis weight in the Manila family: the paper to choose when 6 or 9 gsm tissue can no longer withstand handling, and the last one before the jump is no longer about weight but about fiber. Its place is the perimeter — mounting tabs, sheet edges, map or plan edges — areas that are repeatedly touched.

Why choose Tengujo 18 gsm?

• Sufficient body for handling — at 18 gsm, the sheet has significantly more body than the 6 and 9 gsm tissues: you position the strip, adjust it, and reposition it with less tendency for it to curl on itself. It is still a tissue and must be treated as such, especially when wet, but the margin for maneuver is different.
• Working translucency, not veiling — it allows the lines and texture of the support underneath to be read, but it is perceived as a layer. It does not optically disappear. This is why it is a perimeter paper and not for the center of an image: if the reinforcement should not be visible over the image, lower the basis weight — 9 gsm for local reinforcement, 6 gsm if the veiling is integral.
• Abaca fiber, foliar, 3–6 mm, chemical pulp — this is the fiber that defines the entire Manila family. It provides body to the basis weight, without the tear resistance of kozo's bast fiber.
• Feather-edged tearable border — moistened with a brush and torn against a ruler, abaca releases a loose fiber edge that softens the step of the reinforcement against the original. At 18 gsm, this tear is clean and controllable, with a greater margin of error than with fine tissues.
• pH 6.7 declared by the manufacturer — no added alkali — at this pH, the paper has no alkaline reserve: it does not contribute carbonate to the assembly.
• Sheet size 460 × 690 mm — 0.317 m² per sheet. It yields long strips for perimeter reinforcement without splices in medium and large-sized documents, which is exactly the format where this basis weight works.

Uses and applications

• Mounting tabs (hinges) for works on paper in passe-partout or folders.
• Reinforcement of sheet edges in reference documents with weakened edges.
• Edges of rolled or foldable maps, plans, and posters — the perimeter that suffers with each opening.
• Perimeter reinforcement of graphic works before exhibition mounting.
• Bookbinding: edges and gripping areas on loose sheets.
• Conservation-restoration teaching: basis weight for practicing tabs and edge reinforcements with a greater margin of error than fine tissues.

Technical specifications

• Reference: ART. 508 Tengujo
• Basis weight: 18 gsm
• Composition declared by the manufacturer: 100% abaca (Manila hemp, Musa textilis)
• Family: Manila — foliar fiber, length 3–6 mm, chemical pulp
• pH: 6.7 (declared by the manufacturer)
• Alkaline reserve: none — at pH 6.7 there is no reserve alkali to transfer to the support
• Sheet format: 460 × 690 mm
• Surface area: 0.317 m² per sheet

When to choose 18 gsm Manila?

The Tengujo range comprises two distinct families, not a single thickness scale. 18 gsm is the ceiling for Manila: above it, the jump is in fiber, not weight, and also in price.

• 18 gsm Manila ART. 508 (this one) — perimeter reinforcement: tabs, sheet edges, map or plan edges. The area is handled, but not under tensile stress.
• 6 gsm Manila ART. 561 — veiling and integral lamination of fragile documents or brittle paper, when the reinforcement must cover the entire surface without being visible.
• 9 gsm Manila ART. 502 Tengujo Kashmir (see product page) — fine tears and small lacunae. Use this if 18 gsm is too optically prominent over the image.
• 12 gsm Manila ART. 240 — folds and hinges.

Quick rule of thumb: if you need body, stick with Manila, and this is your top choice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have doubts about which one to choose? Contact us. Available at innovart.art · info@innovart.art