Xerox 2000 manual Thick paper stocks, Coated papers, Paper stretch, selecting paper stock

selecting paper stock

Thick paper stocks

Image quality on recommended heavy weight stocks is often excellent, but cannot always be expected to match the image quality on 100 gsm Colotech+ paper. Degradation in image quality is more likely to occur as paper weight increases. The rough formation of heavy weight papers increases the possibility of mottle with some images, particularly those with uniform halftone areas (ie, flat tints). As humidity and the moisture content of paper rises, the likelihood of mottle will also increase.

Coated papers

Coated papers have binders, adhesives, and pigments applied to their surfaces on one or both sides. As compared to the benchmark 100 gsm Colotech+ paper, coated papers provide improved image gloss, but will generally cause an increased likelihood of issues like paper stretch, offsetting and mottle.

Coated papers are very susceptible to humidity. Image mottle is more likely to occur when coated stocks are used, especially on side two of a two-sided job.

Ink coverage on electronic originals should be limited to a total of 280% (70% for each colour). Higher toner coverage can result in poorly fused prints on coated stocks, and is more likely on side two of a two-sided job.

Coated stocks – especially when duplexed – are best suited to shorter run lengths.

If using a coated paper that has not been recommended, first try a small quantity to test its performance before committing to the job.

Paper stretch

When running two-sided printing applications, side to side registration may be affected by the inherent paper stretch that occurs as the paper is heated through the fusing stage of the printing process. Typical paper stretch for light, uncoated paper is between 0.2% and 0.6% of the paper size in the print feed direction. For coated materials, the affect is as high as 0.9% of the paper size in the print feed direction. The higher the weight of the paper the lower the resulting stretch. Cover materials, therefore, show low stretch tendencies.

The DocuColor 2060 operator can make some minor compensation for paper stretch, but thinner coated stocks are best avoided if image size or front to back alignment are critical factors in a particular job.

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