An arrival checklist for Xuan paper shipments: counts, dimensions, pack condition, brush tests, batch consistency and storage before stock is released.
Paper is a consumable: it is used up, reordered and judged by the customer within minutes of opening a pack. That makes the arrival check unusually valuable, because what it produces is the evidence that protects the next order.
Why arrival checks matter more for paper than for tools
A brush or a stone can be inspected once and then sold. Paper is consumed progressively, so a problem in the middle of a carton can surface weeks after delivery, in front of the customer. Checking a few sheets at the start turns that risk into a documented observation.
Count, dimensions and pack condition
- Sheet count. Count at least two packs against the packing list. Where sheets are counted by weight in production, differences appear here first.
- Dimensions. Measure several sheets from more than one pack, because a change of format rarely shows up in a single sheet.
- Pack condition. Check the wrap and the outer carton for moisture marks and compression. Paper that has taken on damp does not always show it immediately.
- Edges. Look for torn or deformed edges on the top and bottom sheets, which is where handling damage appears.
What a brush test shows
Paper is bought for how it takes ink, and that is judged by using it. A simple test on a sample sheet, repeated on a sheet from another pack, shows most of what a buyer needs to know before releasing stock to a customer.
- Absorbency. How quickly ink is drawn into the sheet, and whether it stays where the brush put it.
- Wet strength. Whether the sheet holds together while the ink is still wet, which is where thin paper fails first.
- Edge and bleed. Whether a stroke keeps a clean boundary or feathers outward.
- Surface. Whether the sheet is treated or plain, since the two behave differently under repeated strokes and washes.
The test is not a substitute for the supplier's own specification, but it shows whether the shipment in front of you behaves like the one you approved.
Batch consistency inside one carton
Paper is made in runs, and a single carton can draw on more than one of them. Sheets from the top, the middle and the bottom of the same carton should behave alike; if they do not, the buyer wants to know before a customer does.
The practical control is a retained sheet from the approved order, stored away from light and damp, and compared against each new delivery.
Storage before the paper is sold on
Distributors hold paper far longer than the end user does, so storage is part of the product's condition. The questions to settle with the supplier are the ones that decide whether the paper is still the same product in six months: whether it should stay wrapped, how it should be stacked, and which conditions of damp, heat or direct light affect it.
Where a buyer repacks into retail units, repacking conditions matter as much as storage conditions, because repacking is the moment the paper is exposed.
Checks before releasing a shipment
- Sheet counts against the packing list, on at least two packs.
- Measured dimensions on sheets from more than one pack.
- Wrap and carton condition checked for moisture and compression.
- A brush test on sheets from the top, middle and bottom of a carton.
- A retained sheet from the approved order kept for comparison.
- Storage and repacking conditions agreed in writing.
Frequently asked questions
Should paper be ordered by sheet count or by weight?
Agree the commercial unit in the order and use the same unit for the arrival check. Where the two are mixed, quantity disputes follow.
Is a plain sheet worse than a treated one?
They serve different work. Treated and untreated papers behave differently under ink and wash, so the question is which behaviour your channel needs rather than which is better — compare Treated Xuan Paper for Gongbi with Raw Xuan Paper Professional.
How long can paper be stored before sale?
That depends on the paper and on storage conditions, so it belongs among the questions asked of the specific supplier rather than applied as a general rule.
What if only part of a shipment behaves differently?
Record which pack, which position and what was observed, keep the sample, and raise it against the retained sheet from the approved order. A documented observation is far more useful than a general complaint.
Next step for buyers
Agree the unit, the format and the retained sample before ordering, then check arrival against them. Review the Raw Xuan Paper Professional and the Xuan Paper Roll, together with Student Practice Xuan Paper for volume channels, then send your formats, pack counts and annual volume.