Our History

Our history is critical to who we are today. If you look at the values established over 100 years ago, they are still woven within the fabric of Appvion. Entrepreneurial spirit, high-performance coatings, and customer focus were just as critical in the early years as they are today.

A Strong Beginning

Appvion was incorporated in May 1907 as The Appleton Coated Paper Company. Our founder, Charles S. Boyd, believed he could add value to paper by applying a coating to make it more printable. At the time, paper machines could not make and coat paper in a single operation, creating a market niche for independent paper converters. He chose Appleton, Wisconsin as the site for his plant, not because it was his hometown but because of the paper mills dotting the shores of the Fox River that could feed base stock to his new enterprise.

  • 1907

    Charles Boyd Appvion was founded by Charles Boyd, originally known as the Appleton Coated Paper Company.

  • 1954

    Scientist mixing beakers NCR chemists Barry Green and Lowell Schleicher invent microencapsulation. The new technology was referred to as “carbonless paper” and was made practicable by Appleton Coated.

  • 1963

    Appvion's Appleton plant Appleton was essential in developing direct thermal paper with NCR in 1962, and thermal paper manufacturing was introduced in 1963.

  • 1967

    Chemist working with beakers The company christened a new research and marketing center to assist its continuing experimentation with microencapsulated emulsions and other paper coatings.

  • 1970–71

    Appleton Papers Inc logo NCR acquired Appleton Coated and formed the Appleton Papers division by merging it with Combined Paper Mills, Inc.

  • 1985–86

    Superior Guarantee document Appleton introduces an unconditional guarantee in conjunction with its commitment to quality improvement– “Think Quality: Do it Right the First Time.”

  • 1994

    Close up of security document paper Appleton introduces DocuCheck Security Papers with security features that effectively protect against fraud.

  • 2006

    Chemist reviewing work Appleton removed bisphenol-A (BPA) from its thermal paper formulation out of growing concerns about the safety of the chemical.

  • 2007

    Appleton paper semi truck Appleton celebrates its 100th anniversary.

  • 2007

    Microencapsulation magnified Appleton completes manufacturing expansion to introduce Encapsys® technology and launches fragrance capsules.

  • 2013

    Appvion exterior The company changed its name to Appvion to reflect its heritage of innovation in applying chemistry to paper and microencapsulation to create value for its customers.

  • 2014

    Receipt paper on counter Appvion invents the first direct thermal material formulated with vitamin C instead of phenols or urea-based compounds, offering customers a natural POS receipt paper choice.

  • 2019

    Stack of white eco-friendly dishes Appvion launches new business division – Packaging and Specialty Coatings.

  • 2019

    Chemist working with beaker and dish Appvion invents new direct thermal technology, CleanSlate™, free of reactive chemical developers, phenols, and leuco dye.

  • 2020

    Appvion exterior from drone Appvion is certified compliant with 21 CFR FDA cGMP regulatory standards for the manufacture of food packaging.

  • 2021

    Chemist writing on whiteboard Appvion invents an industry-leading phenol-free direct thermal chemistry platform that allows the company to lead the market to completely phenol-free direct thermal solutions.

  • 2021

    Handing coffee cups in drink carrier Appvion invents Mission Zero™ Cup 62, a hot cup solution for coffee, tea, and the like, manufactured without plastic films or PFAS.
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