April 2007:Planning Projects with Unusual Stocks

Paper selection involves the evaluation of a project in two stages: Printing and postpress. On the printing side, paper is typically selected based on its ability to get through the press and complement the design and feel of the piece. But a paper that looks great when it’s flat may not stay that way when it hits the bindery.

Textured stocks such as this can give the illusion of cloth.

Depending on the needs of your project, the paper you select must work well with folding, gluing, trimming, binding, foil stamping, embossing and all other finishing services it will receive. This consideration is even more important when you select an unusual substrate. Below are some planning tips and areas of concern for common and unusual substrates.

Synthetic Stocks
Synthetic stocks such as Yupo and PolyArt have very different properties from natural fiber papers. While most synthetic stocks have a printable, paper-like surface, they’re manufactured from plastic and behave as such when folded, cut, diecut and glued. In addition, many synthetic stocks require special inks and coatings.But they also offer resistance to moisture, grease and tearing that natural papers can’t touch.

Uncoated stocks
For most binding and finishing production, uncoated stocks are a breeze to work with. Their high paper fiber content allows them to work well with almost any adhesive, and they offer consistent results for folding, scoring and most binding styles.

One area where uncoated stocks are not recommended is for applications requiring UV or other postpress coatings. Due to the absorbency of uncoated stocks, UV coating will simply be sucked into the stock. If your project must include UV coating, be sure to specify a coated stock.

Coated stocks
From a postpress perspective, the main factor with coated stocks is the addition of clay, which can result in poor or inconsistent folding quality even if the sheet has been scored first. Gloss-coated stocks, or those with heavy ink coverage, may exhibit unsightly cracking on the fold.

For adhesive binding projects, coated stocks may offer poor results if not properly prepared. Again, the high clay/low fiber content of coated papers makes it difficult for adhesives to penetrate the sheet surface and form a strong bond. For this reason, PUR adhesives are suggested for most projects printed on coated stocks.

Textured stocks
If your customer is considering a textured stock for their project, consider the pattern of the texture and how it will affect the finished product. For example, linear patterns will show any unevenness in folding and trimming, which may be a deal-breaker for your application. Also, textured stocks are not always a good fit for foil stamping and embossing. Many designers attempt to “stamp out” the pattern in a textured stock and fill the stamped area with foil, which is not always successful. An equally attractive and more predictable alternative is to perform blind embossing on the textured stock.

The Riverside Advantage
Do you have a great stock in mind that you or your customer would like to use? Give the experts at The Riverside Group a call to be sure you won’t run into difficulties during downstream production. With a complete range of bookbinding (including perfect, PUR, Smyth-sewn and mechanical binding styles), print finishing and related solutions performed under one roof, we can help you manage the strengths and challenges of almost any type of stock. Give The Riverside Group a call today!