Following Dave Saul's post, I ought to explain what I've been
investigating, and where I've gotten to.  I'm happy so far but certainly
haven't found the perfect choice!

I did quite a lot of reading on the net about paper, while looking for
supplies to use for my perforator.  It came with a smallish stock of
paper that I didn't really care for.  The variety of papers around is
totally bewildering, from tobacco papers to thick card and everything in
between.

I believe that the paper I received is 12-inch-width "counter reel"
florists' wrapping paper.  It's a sulphite paper, which tends to be
cheap because the production process is high-yield.  But it is not
particularly strong because the paper fibers are weakened by the
processing.  I have concerns about how well this will resist wear and
abrasion over the long term, and I have no idea of its likely life.

Modern rolls often use some form of Kraft paper ("Kraft" is German for
strength), which is made by a sulphate process from new wood pulp.  This
is much stronger but more expensive.   There seems to be little if any
commercial production of white (bleached) Kraft in suitable widths,
although you can get brown wrapping paper of the right size.  Having
paper cut to width ("converted") is pricey and involves a large minimum
order, as Dave Saul reported.  So I've tried to locate an off-the-shelf
product.

There is little, if any, use of dry-waxed paper in Europe, as high-tech
silicone and plastic products seem to have become the norm, presumably
because of government regulations.  And original rolls never used it!

I looked at the more expensive end of the market: white photocopier
paper.  If you contact suppliers of paper for wide-format printers, you
can fairly readily locate reels of 297mm width, this being the shorter
edge of the standard A3 paper size (hence it is sometimes called A3 reel
paper).  The advantage here is that the minimum order is usually two
rolls, rather than 10,000 pounds, and there is next-day delivery.

The paper that I'm trying at the moment is Oce photocopiers' "Red
Label."  I tried them because they were the only supplier that seemed to
offer 500-meter reels, everyone else limiting themselves to 150 or 200m.
Sadly, when the sales office tried to get that size reel, they found it
wasn't made any more!  So, I'm trying 200m reels.  Given that a normal
piano roll is less than 10m and even the longest rolls are about 30m,
this is still perfectly adequate for low-volume production.

How good is this paper for rolls?  It looks superb, has a claimed 150-
year archival life, runs straight (essential for printers), and punches
very crisply.  Its price is fairly modest relative to roll prices,
although obviously higher than the cost of wrapping paper.  The
downside is that it's a little too thick, making it rather too springy,
although it seems to play very nicely.  Its weight is 75-80 grams per
square meter (gsm), so I now need to see if other suppliers offer a
slightly thinner alternative, around 65gsm.

The photocopier market needs a fairly standardised product given the
technology: no watermark, very stable dimensions for handling
consistency, etc.  Writing paper and commercial printing paper is more
varied in type.  Some music roll producers have used watermarked bond
paper, which can be obtained through paper merchants.  I've not made any
investigation into this part of the market yet.

We were asked about things to consider when looking for paper.  A few
things come to mind from what I've read.

All European paper is measured in grams per square meter, which makes
comparison easy.  American paper is given a "basis weight": pounds
weight for so many sheets of a certain size.  The trouble there is that
the basis-sheet size varies by paper type, and most lists don't state
the basis; so it's not possible to compare products without asking for
more detail.  I believe that the Burrows 30/6 paper (30 pounds paper, 6
pounds wax) which Dave Saul mentioned compares to about 65gsm.
[Editor's note: Dave's 05.05.21 MMD post mentions "30/36 DW" paper,
which now appears to be a typo.]

Another measurement is thickness (often called "bulk" and measured as
"caliper").  Comparing this with weight will indicate density.  Other
technical considerations of significance for roll paper are burst
strength, fray resistance, and tear strengths along and across the
grain.

A classic bad choice for roll paper is one that has high burst strength
-- butcher paper, for example.  It is explicitly designed to resist
being punched through by bones, and holes tend to close up.  Some rolls
appear in the past to have used a commonly available (and cheap)
product called "Peach butcher paper" -- with predictably disastrous
results!

Rolls need to run straight.  Modern paper tends to have good
"runability," given the nature of modern paper mills and the high-tech
demands made on the product by such things as laser printers.

Finally, consider finish.  There's unfinished paper, calendered (smooth
surface) paper, and various levels of glazing (shiny).  Although it has
become conventional to have the waxed or shiny side against the tracker
bar, older rolls tended to be mechanically glazed and have the shiny
side outwards for printing on.

Maybe some of the above is of use to others, but it's most certainly not
definitive, and I'd be very glad to hear from anyone better informed or
who has lucked onto something good.  I can't really believe that there's
nothing suitable being made today!

Julian Dyer