Hi Archfarchnad,

I remember a discussion a while back about those little cellulose pads a nurse uses after taking a blood sample - can't find it now, of course .... but Doris is the expert on paper, isn't she? Why don't you send her an e-mail?

I would think of tissue _paper_ as that thin, rather shiny paper in craft shops; then there's tissue (i.e. Kleenex) or sanitary tissue (which is too narrow as it doesn't include kitchen roll). BTW: Have you seen this:

http://www.paperonline.org/glossary/paperglos...

And this:
"This report covers: disposable paper products,disposable tissue products,disposable nappies,sanitary protection products,environmental issues,health issues,current issues,

Companies/brands covered include: Georgia-pacific Gb,Kimberly -Clark,Proctor & Gamble,SCA Hygiene Products,Andrex,Bodyform,Huggies Wipes,Poïse,Swiffer,Pampers,

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The market for disposable paper products, as covered by this Key Note Market Report, consists of disposable tissue products, disposable nappies and sanitary protection products. In 2001, the largest sector of the market was disposable tissue products, with sales of toilet tissue accounting for the largest subsector within the disposable tissue products market."
taken from http://www.the-list.co.uk/www.the-list.co.uk/...
may provide you with more googling ideas.




PS and totally OT: I visited an archfarchnad last week :-))

We went to the zoo but there were no penguins.

The link is helpful, and it does describe toilet paper as sanitary tissue paper, but I think I'll use different words for Zellstoff in each sentence of what I'm translating; here an absorbent paper, there a tissue paper.

BTW is it only in the East that they say Zellstofftaschentuch for Kleenex?

Archfarchnad: "Zellstofftaschentuch" habe ich noch nicht gehört - weder im Norden, noch hier im Westen.

Wir sagen allgemein Papiertaschentuch, kaum Kleenex (Norddeutschland). Zellstofftaschentuch - nie gehört.

Archfarchnad: could you give me a context example?
Zellstoff on its own is either pulp or cellulose. Try googling for cellulose paper and see what you get. Tissue papers also include Seidenpapiere and stuff like that, so watch out for that.

Welcome to the zoo!
Let's see if we can find some penguins...

"Zellstoff" (also "Zellulose") is a raw material for paper production. So, in its primary meaning it describes the material you get after you processed wood so that only cellulose is left. For details on wood processing / paper production you'll have to Google (but I guess that's not what you're looking for).

"Zellstoff" in its pure form, bleached and cleaned, in sheets, is used in hospital environments because because it does not attract germs, bacteria etc. while still dry and because of its ability to absorb liquids. So, in hospital environments the term "Zellstoff" or (less common) "Zellulose" is used for those sheets of "crepe" paper that come in various sizes.

Toilet paper, tissues etc., when first invented, used to be made of pure "Zellstoff" too. In fact (I'm not sure), it's possible that those greyish rolls of cheap toilet paper you find in public toilets sometimes are still made of (uncleaned, unbleached) pure "Zellstoff". However, modern tissues and "better quality" toilet papers are not made of pure cellulose anymore. They're mostly made of recycled paper (which of course also contains cellulose), with various additives to make them soft and give them texture and "friendly" colours (sometimes also to add scent); for that reason it would not be correct anymore to refer to them as "Zellstoff" - and I don't remember anybody doing so recently. I mean, it's possible that some older people still - incorrectly - use the term for toilet paper, tissue, diapers and the like, but it is definitely not a common expression anymore - except if you're in a hospital (see above).

As for a translation, I'd say:

1. regarding the term in wood processing, I'd think the english term is "cellulose"

2. I've never (thank god) been in an American or English hospital (except as a visitor). I would think they have a term for those cellulose sheets (I am sure they use the same German that hospitals use). My guess is "cellulose" - but I don't know.

3. Offering a translation like "tissue paper", "toilet paper", "diapers" etc., I think it should be tagged as "outdated" or the like.

Zellstoff (Foto 130 Zellstofftaschentuch)
Du kennst ihn als Papiertaschentuch, Küchenrolle und Ähnliches. Zellstoff ist hochweiß, vergilbt nicht und ist durchsichtiger als Holzschliff. Er ist zur Herstellung guter Papiersorten unerlässlich. Zellstoff entsteht aus Zellulose. (...)

The second sentence is a bit confusing to me, as it seems to be referring to the pulp here, comparing it to ground wood pulp, but surely the pulp Zellstoff isn't bright white?

Another title is "Holz für die Zellstoff- und Papierherstellung".

> "Zellstoff ist hochweiß, vergilbt nicht und ist durchsichtiger als Holzschliff"

This is true - after it is cleaned and bleached.

Since "Zellstoff" both describes the raw material (pulp) and the sheets used in hospitals, it's easy to get confused.

The raw material is "pure" in the sense of "no additives" - the "Zellstoff" sheets in hospitals are "pure" in the sense of "everything (impurities, pigments) but the 'Zellstoff' itself removed"

Certainly everything made of paper today contains significant amounts of cellulose - but since a lot of it is made of recycled paper and many additives are added, those things aren't referred to as *being* "Zellstoff".