Cardstock construction

Smoothness: The 135-157 g/m2 (36-42 lb) cardstock should have a smoothness rating of 100-180 Sheffield; 60-135 g/m2 (16-36 lb) cardstock should have a smoothness rating of 100-250 Sheffield.

Construction: Cardstock should lie flat with less than 5 mm (0.2 inches) of curl.

Condition: Make sure that the cardstock is not wrinkled, nicked, or otherwise damaged.

Sizes: Only use cardstock within the following size ranges:

Minimum: 76 x 127 mm (3 x 5 inches)

Maximum: 216 x 356 mm (8.5 x 14.0 inches)

Cardstock guidelines

Set margins at least 2 mm (0.08 inches) away from the edges.

 

Letterhead and preprinted forms

 

Letterhead is premium paper that often has a watermark, sometimes uses cotton fiber, and

 

is available in a wide range of colors and finishes with matching envelopes. Preprinted forms

 

can be made of a broad spectrum of paper types ranging from recycled to premium.

 

Many manufacturers now design these grades of paper with properties optimized for laser

 

printing and advertise the paper as laser-compatible or laser-guaranteed.

 

Some page-to-page variation is normal when printing with laser printers. This variation

NOTE

 

cannot be observed when printing on plain paper. However, this variation is obvious when

 

printing on preprinted forms because the lines and boxes are already placed on the page.

 

To avoid problems when using preprinted forms, embossed paper, and letterhead, observe

 

the following guidelines:

 

Avoid using low-temperature inks (the kind used with some types of thermography).

 

Use preprinted forms and letterhead paper that have been printed by offset lithography

 

or engraving.

 

Use forms that have been created with heat-resistant inks that will not melt, vaporize, or

 

release undesirable emissions when heated to 200°C (392°F) for 0.1 second. Typically,

 

oxidation-set or oil-based inks meet this requirement.

 

When the form is preprinted, be careful not to change the moisture content of the paper,

 

and do not use materials that change the paper's electrical or handling properties. Seal

 

the forms in moisture-proof wrap to prevent moisture changes during storage.

 

Avoid processing preprinted forms that have a finish or coating.

 

Avoid using heavily embossed or raised-letterhead papers.

 

Avoid papers that have heavily textured surfaces.

 

Avoid using offset powders or other materials that prevent printed forms from sticking

 

together.

ENWW

Guidelines for using media 31

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HP 1022nw manual Letterhead and preprinted forms, Cardstock construction