Layered paper having a soft and smooth velutinous surface, and method of making such paper

A method of making a multi-layer wet-laid tissue paper sheet having a substantially flat and smooth velutinous top surface which velutinous top surface comprises a primary filamentary constituent of about 60% or more by weight of relatively short papermaking fibers having average lengths of about 1.5 mm or less, and which velutinous top surface is characterized by an average free-fiber-end index (FFE-Index) of about 60 or greater and an average humantactile-response texture (HTR-Texture) of about 1.0 or less, said method comprising the steps of:

• depositing a first fibrous slurry comprising about 60% or more of said relatively short papermaking fibers onto a first forming surface which is sufficiently smooth to provide a paper web formed thereon from said first slurry with an average HTR-Texture of about 1.0 or less;
• depositing a second fibrous slurry onto a second forming surface, said slurry comprising relatively long papermaking fibers as a primary constituent;
• dewatering and associating said slurries sufficiently to form a 2-layer embryonic web comprising a first layer and a second layer in juxtaposed relation, and drying said embryonic web without imparting substantial texture thereto whereby said papermaking fibers become bonded together in a relatively smooth unified web, said unified web having a top surface defined primarily by a multiplicity of inter-fiber-bonded short papermaking fibers from said first slurry;
• and,
• breaking sufficient bonds intermediate said multiplicity of short papermaking fibers defining said top surface of said web to provide a predetermined average FFE-Index of about 60 or greater.

A method of making a 3-layer wet-laid tissue paper sheet having a substantially flat and smooth velutinous top surface and a substantially textured bottom surface, said velutinous top surface comprising a primary filamentary constituent of about 60% or more by weight of relatively short papermaking fibers having average lengths of about 1.5 mm or less and which velutinous top surface is characterized by an average free-fiber-end index (FFE-Index) of about 60 or greater and an average human-tactile-response texture (HTR-Texture) of about 1.0 or less, said method comprising the steps of:

• wet forming a first embryonic layer of paper having a top surface from a first fibrous slurry comprising about 60% or more of said relatively short papermaking fibers on a first forming surface which is sufficiently smooth to provide a paper web formed thereon from said first slurry with an average HTR-Texture of about 1.0 or less;
• wet forming a 2-layer web having a substantially planar long fiber layer having a smooth outer surface and a predominantly short fiber bottom layer having a substantially textured outer surface by deflecting discrete portions of the short fiber layer into the interfilamentary spaces of a foraminous carrier fabric;
• associating said first layer with said 2-layer web so that said first layer is juxtaposed said smooth outer surface to form a unified 3-layer embryonic web;
• and
• breaking sufficient bonds intermediate said multiplicity of short papermaking fibers defining said top surface of said first layer of said 3-layer web to provide said top surface with a predetermined average FFE-Index of about 60 or greater.