The company said it had been forced to make the worldwide price hike, which will vary according to the currency, because prices for raw materials had been increasing for some time.

He said: "So far, Mitsubishi HiTec Paper has absorbed these additional costs and avoided raising prices for as long as possible.

"After the cost increases in the past months, this is now no longer possible."

Paper manufacturers across Europe have announced a series of paper price increases in response to increasing raw material and energy costs over the past year.

Mitsubishi HiTec Paper is part of Mitsubishi Paper Mills, a Japanese-based manufacturer of coated papers, communication papers, photo-sensitive materials and wood-free paper.