As the speed of the paper machine and printing press increases, the dependency of the production efficiency upon the frequency of web break increases. It is believed that flaw or crack that presents in paper is one of the most important for web break. Runnability of papers on the paper machine could be evaluated by measuring fracture toughness. In this paper the effect kof beating and pressing on the runnability was investigated using handsheets made from softwood bleached kraft pulp beaten to different freeness. Pressing pressure was also varied to obtain different levels of sheet consolidation. Density, tensile strength, and J-integral of the handsheets were evaluated. For measuring J-integral either a single specimen method or RPM method was employed. Results showed that the density and tensile strength were improved as beating and pressing increased because of increased interfiber bonding. J-integral increased with beating until the CSF reached 400mL. No significant difference in J-integral, however, was observed afterward with the increase of beating. And it appeared to be due to acceleration of the stress concentration around the crack that exists on the fiber wall of the sheet when cracks exists.