What happens when newspapers are no longer printed on paper?

Among other things more dire … good luck trying to pack your ceramics and glasses for the big move.

Newspapers were once widely available, on paper, and used in all sorts of ways beyond conveying news, ads and photos. It was “recycling” before the term had been invented.

For example:

–Newsprint could be used for the lining at the bottom of bird cages.

–For wrapping all sorts of food products. (Hence, the derogatory term “the daily fish-wrap”.) One item in particular comes to mind: British fish-and-chips — which are available as a “take away” item with the wedges of potatoes and breaded fish conveyed in yesterday’s newspaper.

The thing about newspapers … if you are not allergic to newsprint (and embattled 1980s Los Angeles Rams owner Georgia Frontiere alleged she was) it is useful as an essentially germ-free surface. Or it was when it came off the press.

It also could be used …

–For insulation. My grandmother told me about this one five decades ago. “Newspapers can keep a person warm.” I have always wondered how she knew; she did live through the Great Depression.

–As packing material.

You move to a new place. You ship items across country. You ship items around the world. Odds are pretty good you would use newspaper to cushion your most breakable items. Dishes, stemware, etc.

Before moving to Abu Dhabi to take jobs at The National, back in 2009, we used newsprint to individually wrap all fragile items as they went into storage.

What newspapers seem best suited to, after they are wadded up a bit, is providing a layer of air (as a primitive shock absorber) between individual dishes or glasses that might otherwise be banging against each other. And breaking.

Newspapers have been used for this purpose probably within a few years of newspapers being invented.

Crumple up yesterday’s paper, increasing its cushioning properties, and wrap up your stuff. Newspaper also can be used to fill the extra space inside a box, so that things don’t rattle around. All it costs is a little ink on your fingers.

This month, seven years and a trans-Atlantic trip later, we found that the large majority of our breakables were wrapped in newspaper — and arrived in the south of France in one piece. I just opened a box of dishware and found it cuddled by the Long Beach Press-Telegram of October 6, 2009.

(It can be seen, at the top of this post.)

When you are packing up these days, what do you do without newspaper?

Unless you are going to splurge for bubble wrap on all your stuff … you probably will be looking for an alternative source to what we all used right through to 20th century — newspaper.

Or, you could pay for the layers of paper some movie companies new use — impressive stuff, but never first used in all the ways newspapers were. Seems non-environmental, doesn’t it?

Newsprint is not going to be an option, soon, as newspapers shrink in size and pages and continue on a path that seems to end with newspapers online only.

Many of us will miss the paper product, in a variety of ways. Not least during moves.

Can’t wrap a soup tureen in nytimes.com