Why Do Paper Towels Have Patterns?

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Paper towels are a must-have in most households. They serve as a quick cleanup method for spills and mishaps, and there are also many genius, alternative ways to use paper towels. Given their everyday usefulness, many people opt for stylish embossed rolls. If you look closely, even generic, store-brand paper towels have a classy embossed pattern. Once you realize the majority are printed with a raised pattern, you may wonder why.

If there's one thing we know about most big businesses, it's that they would never splurge on a pretty design if they didn't have to. It seems like an unnecessary production cost. However, the bumpy surface of embossed paper towels is what gives thick paper towel rolls their edge when mopping up spills.

Single- and multi-ply rolls come in all kinds of designs, from Bounty's diamond- and polka-dot-printedrolls to Scott's horizontally-lined rolls. Sometimes there's even another fun pattern dyed on top, such as floral designs or seasonally-inspired illustrations. The dyed pattern doesn't serve much purpose; however, the indented prints are very much functional. 3D prints in paper towels enhance their cleaning ability, improve their composition, and make them a higher-quality product. Here's why the top picks for paper towels are always multi-ply and include raised patterns.

For starters, the hills and dips in the material are better at absorbing moisture from cleaning products and spills, giving paper towels their reliable reputation. They have more surface area to absorb liquids. In fact, a BioResources study on the embossing of toilet tissues found that the patterns increased water absorption by over 60%. Toilet paper and paper towels have slightly different compositions due to their different purposes, but their designs have the same effect. The embossing process used to produce paper towels also makes them better at trapping dust and dirt particles. This makes them effective for wet messes and for dusting and wiping away dry debris.

Many paper towel rolls are multi-ply, meaning they're made of multiple layers. These layers are more likely to stay together when embossed. The reason for this is that when patterns are embedded into the material, the layers are pressed together, making them more compressed. This keeps multi-layered paper products, like paper towels, in one piece when they're used to scrub or wipe up a wet mess. Without this bond, they would be more likely to rip when exposed to water.

The more bumps, grooves, and layers, the more absorbent the paper towel. This thickness also makes them more useful for innovative DIY projects, such as the idea that turns paper towels into beautiful floral decor. Essentially, the unintentional additional benefit of patterned towels is that they hold up better for crafting.