shrinkage stresses the web will improve both in terms of its tensile strength as well as its flexural strength and bulk this results in major savings in raw materials as well upgrades in quality the adhesive effect of a surface sizing agent is enhanced in metal belt calendering as a result of temperature moisture dwell as well as load because the sizing agent e g starch melts softens plasticizes during a calendering process in compression the interfibrous adhesive joints experience strengthening of interfiber bonds interfibrous adhesive bonds as well as an enlargement of effective bonding area the bond strength increases as plasticized fibers lignin or chemicals added into paper become bonded give strength to bonds already there the formation of bonds requires a high moisture content such moisture levels are not achievable in traditional calendering methods it is likely however that the moisture in paper be distributed unevenly whereby local moisture contents e g in starch molecules might reach quite high levels indeed thus the formation of hydrogen bonds for example between starch molecules or even between fibers would be possible fig2 a illustrates the experimentally discovered effect of the amount and drying process of a surface sizing agent on the basis weight of paper and fig2 b shows the effect of the amount and drying process of a surface sizing agent on the thickness of paper it can be seen from fig2 b.