I have not researched the plusses and minuses of the various paper
types out there for roll paper.  I know that there has been a fair
amount of research and experimentation of what makes the best roll
paper over the years.  There have been several paper types that roll
producers have settled on that seem to work well.  Thinking about this,
some positive parameters for roll paper that come to mind:

 - The paper should be reasonably strong.

 - The paper should change as little as possible with humidity, in width,
in tracking stability, in uniformity and overall characteristic such
as stiffness and cracking over time.

 - The paper needs to be fairly air tight, at least enough so the player
can differentiate between holes and non-holes.

 - The paper needs to be thin enough to flow well over the tracker bar but
be thick enough to be air tight and strong.

 - The paper should have minimum friction on the tracker bar.

Although cost may be an issue (I don't know what Tyvek actually costs),
I would say that Tyvek covers all of the parameters I outlined above.
It stays soft and would flow well over the tracker bar and is low in
friction.  It is air tight and very stable over time and with humidity.
It is extremely durable, almost impossible to tear.  Even the
worst-tracking player action would have a hard time destroying a roll
made of Tyvek.

Looking in the Archives I did see some mention of using Tyvek for rolls
but it was quickly dismissed because of concerns of it breaking down
under ultra violet light (sunshine) exposure when used for band organs.
I can certainly see that concern, but for regular in-house players and
orchestrions I don't see how that would be a problem.  Anyway I just
thought I would throw this idea out there and see what anyone thought.

Ray Finch
Albuquerque, New Mexico

 [ Many years ago QRS "Celebrity" rolls were produced on a tough plastic
 [ material; was it Tyvek?  Why did QRS quit using it?  -- Robbie