What is NCR paper?

Carbonless NCR paper, also known as 'No Carbon Required' or just "NCR" paper is a special type of paper that allows for the creation of multiple copies of a document without the need for blue or black carbon paper.

Prior to the invention of carbonless paper, creating multiple copies of a document required the use of carbon paper, which was messy, difficult to use, and produced poor-quality copies.

Carbonless paper revolutionized the printing industry by allowing for cleaner, more efficient, and higher-quality document duplication.

Carbonless NCR Upgrade Options Explained

NCR Books with Perforation

NCR Pads can be upgraded to NCR Books which are staple-bound, taped and perforated so that a copy can be retained in the Book. They are more durable for use outside of your office or shop environment.

Sequential Numbering

Each Set can be given a unique number that runs in sequence (0001,0002 etc.). You can let us know what you would like it to start from and how many positions on your artwork. These are normally printed in Black ink, although you can request other ink colours like Red if you prefer.

Hinged Writing Shields

Our standard NCR Pads & Books include an inserted, removable Writing Shield. You can upgrade to an attached Hinged Writing Shields (also known as Wrapover Shields) which are permanently attached to the carbonless Book or Pad.

2 or 4 Drill Holes

If you want to easily put the NCR sheets in a file or binder you can request the sets have Drill Holes, saving you the trouble having to manually use a hole punch on each sheet (A5 & A4 documents only).

How does NCR paper work?

The technology behind carbonless paper involves the use of micro-encapsulated dye and clay particles.

When pressure is applied to the top sheet, the capsules break, releasing the dye, which then reacts with the clay particles on the adjacent sheet(s) to create a copy of the original document.

Depending on the number of sheets used, carbonless NCR paper can create up to four copies — also called "4-part" – of a single document.

Who uses carbonless NCR paper today?

Today, carbonless NCR paper is used in a wide variety of industries and applications, including printing and publishing, banking and finance, healthcare, and transportation.

What is NCR paper used for today?

Carbonless NCR Business Forms are documents were multiple stakeholders require a copy from a multi-page, hand-written business form that automatically copies the hand-writing down through multiple pages simultaneously as the person writes with a pen.

It is commonly used for creating invoices, receipts, purchase orders, delivery notes, CVI forms, Estimates, Hazardous Waste Consignment Notes, Duty of Care, Incident Reports, Site Reports, Time Sheets and other types of business documents.

Available in "Sets" of two-page Duplicate (aka "2-part" with 1 copy), three-page Triplicate (aka "3-part" with 2 copies), and four-page Quadruplicate (aka "4-part" with 3 copies) uniquely coloured parts, with all copies being printed with the same information (common copy on all).

They can be "padded" into "NCR Pads" of 50 Sets per Pad for convenience, or "Bound" into "NCR Books" of 50 Sets for extra robustness.

We print NCR Pads and NCR books cheaply in Full Colour (Black ink only is so olde skool), without any compromise in quality as we manufacture here in the UK keeping costs low and quality high.
 

Who invented NCR paper?

The technology behind carbonless paper was first developed by chemists Lowell Schleicher and Barry Green in the 1950s while working for the National Cash Register Company (NCR) in Dayton, Ohio.

What is the advantage of carbonless NCR paper over digital methods?

Biggest advantage of carbonless NCR paper is its environmental friendliness, as it eliminates the need for blue or black carbon paper.

Olde Skool 'carbon paper' (not to be confused with 'Carbonless paper') contained harmful chemicals and could be difficult to dispose of or recycle.

Additionally, NCR is easier to use and produces higher-quality copies than traditional carbon paper.

What does the financial industry use NCR paper for?

Banks and financial institutions use carbonless NCR paper to create deposit slips, withdrawal slips, and other forms used in daily banking operations.

What does the healthcare industry use NCR paper for?

The healthcare industry use carbonless NCR to create patient forms, such as medical records, consent forms, time sheet and insurance claim forms.

What does the transport industry use NCR paper for?

The Transport and logistics industry use carbonless NCR paper to create CMR or POD delivery notes, packing slips, and other shipping documents.

What does the car industry use NCR paper for?

The car and vehicle industry use carbonless NCR paper to create New & Used Car forms including: Part Exchange Valuations sheets, Purchase Invoices, Sales Invoices, Vehicle Appraisals, Vehicle Bodywork Appraisals, and Holding Deposit Forms

Pre-Made NCR Templates

We have a wide range of customisable Carbonless NCR Templates if you can't supply your own artwork. Select from the menu on the left.

What does NCR stand for, or mean in Printing?

NCR stands for "No Carbon Required" — meaning that writing transfers between sheets due to a chemical reaction on the pages, not like in the old days were you had to manually insert a piece of carbon transfer paper.

How does NCR paper work?

NCR is a multi-page, hand-written business form that automatically copies the hand-writing down through multiple pages simultaneously as the person writes with a pen.

Setting up the artwork for your Carbonless NCR Sets, Pads or Books

Visit our supplying your own artwork guide page to see our requirements for creating a professional Carbonless NCR design.

FREE DELIVERY*

*GB, N. Ireland, Republic of Ireland — 1 x 30kg box ONLY usually using DPD48 or DHL (2-day) service.

*SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS, ISLANDS & EUROPE WILL INCUR A SMALL SURCHARGE
 

Our printing prices are based on ONE free parcel weighing up to 30Kg going to ONE address.

Our print prices also include delivery to ONE address only.

1 day upgrade – England, Scotland*, Wales to include an additional surcharge Trade Printing UK currently offer FREE Delivery on print to the majority of the UK and Ireland (*excluding Isle of Man, Scottish Highlands, Channel Islands — surcharge applies), but if you're in a hurry, we can expedite shipping after production finishes with other upgrade options.
 

Scottish Highlands and Isle of Wight — can take around 3 days to deliver.

Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey — post Brexit  - can take around one week to export.

Western Europe — post Brexit  - can take around from 2 - 4 weeks to export and clear through Customs in your own country.

Split addresses available at extra cost. £POA
 

Actual shipping time of your print order will vary depending on where you are in the country and when you order. Working Day times are all Monday to Friday only as standard. These exclude weekends and public holidays (although sometimes our carrriers choose to elect a weekend day to deliver to non-commercial premises). See our Terms & Conditions for more details on our logistics policy.

If you'll have more than one parcel in your print order that needs to be expedited, we will advise you at time of order and charge you accordingly.

NOTE: Once parcels are collected by our carrier, responsibility for on-time delivery rests with the carrier as circumstances may occur beyond our control (i.e. office closed, weather, flight delays, access denied etc).

SPECIAL NOTE JANUARY 2023 — Royal Mail hacked — We are currently using Parcelforce for European orders as the Royal Mail cannot currently post outside the UK due to the Russian hackers infiltrating their Export systems.