This is the most basic type. The process uses vacuum forming and take-off or transfer moulds, where the mould is an extremely fine wire mesh in the shape of the upper/exposed surface.

Prior to the moulding process, the mesh is mated with a vacuum chamber that draws air and moisture through the mesh into the chamber, with the mesh mould suspended above a liquid return pool. The fibrous slurry is sprayed from below onto the mould, and the vacuum draws the slurry tightly against the mesh, filling all gaps and spaces. When airflow through the mesh has been sufficiently blocked, the excess slurry falls into the return pool for recycling, and the mould advances onward to the drying process where it passes though an oven where it is dried out to form the packaging unit.

The surfaces are rough on one side and moderately smooth on the opposite side. Product definition is moderate due to the use of relatively inexpensive single-pass moulds and the use of mixed recovered paper and kraft paper slurries.