printing on glossy paper???
Hello,
I am wondering how you print on semi-gloss, glossy paper? Is there a special thing you have to do with the paper before you print on them or you simply buy the paper and just print? Or you use regular mat paper and print, and then do some special thing to make it shiney after words?
Basically I want to print cover pages and they need to shiny somewhat.
(Equipment used: Chandler Price 12x18, AB DICK350)
Hi there,
Printing on glossy (or coated) paper is simple. But there are a few things to remember.
1) Coated paper is actually coated with clay, making it very hard (and heavy), so save your type and lean towards the kiss impression.
2) The ink will not sink into the paper, so you will need to use oil base or a product like VanSon toughtex. Be careful with the toughtex as it will dry on the press quick!
3) Don’t over ink. It will surely offset.
Hope this helps
Bill Cook
Here in the UK, the glossiest paper you can buy is what is known in the trade as “cast coated”; it is a base paper with a special coating. It prints as normal but needs cobalt or machine coated driers added to the inks, to force the ink to dry on the surface, as it is not absorbed like it is on a normal paper. For this reason it needs exposure to the air for maybe several hours, and ideally needs to be placed in drying racks for individual sheets. If this is not done then the ink may not be retained on the surface, and can be wiped off eventually. Practise will be needed to obtain the best results.
light pressure, less ink, handle gently and place on drying racks.
I’ll found out this weekend just how much harder it is than a normal offset sheet. I offered to print some copy onto the back of pre printed cards for a local church that were to small to run through any offset press. Turns out the cards are coated *GULP*
Ok, thank you for the replies.
So from what I gather, it is possible to buy the coated paper. It is also possible to print on with platen presses, but as what Lammy stated in the technique.
Coated paper is available in a variety of finishes from matte to gloss, and, as Bern mentioned, the super-glossy “cast coated” (KromeKote is a well-known brand). In cover weights, it’s often available coated one side (C1S), which may make it easier to print and reduce the setoff problems. But it may be quite difficult to find any colors other than white.
As both Bill and Lammy said, printing on coated stock is a bit different than uncoated. I’ve been printing a fair amount of coated on both my letterpress Multigraph (ink tube labels) and my 360, and it really isn’t difficult if your press settings are right. Whether on your C&P or your 350, you’ll use less ink and can get great results. You don’t need ToughTex or any special ink, just an oil base ink, NOT a rubber base, and you might need to add a bit of tack reducer if the image is large and the paper wants to stick to the plate or blanket.
On coated two side paper (C2S), setoff will happen unless you separate sheets in a drying rack (best), or slipsheet with something like newsprint, or you can use use anti-setoff powder on your 350 if it has chain delivery.
Dave (the Ink in Tubes guy)
I printed on the back of pre finished cards for a local church. Gloss coated paper. They were to small to run through the offset press so I did them this way. I might have had the impression too high as the centers of some characters looked washed out and there was a fine line around the edges, but they still came out fine. Really no different than printing on anything else. I did place them on a home made drying rack. 2 - 2” x 3” rails and 5 - 1/4” x 4” slats. I am amazed that enough wood to make 9 - 24” x 24” racks cost almost $60 though!!!!