solids cracking after creasing /folding

[vaithi47]

can anybody give some tips to avoid cracking of solids ptinted on the sheet when a)the sheet is folded on a folding machine b)when you do creasing/scoring on a machine and hand fold

[jotterpinky]

Anything you plan on folding that has been printed digitally on coated paper should be creased prior to folding. We've noticed however that lighter weight stocks like 80# gloss text will not hold a crease very well so most fold jobs are done on 100# text. After creasing we run it through our regular folder at a slower speed and it looks fantastic.

Ideally one would buy a creaser/folder unit in one like the Morgana Digifold but they are expensive and slow. Their new 5000 unit looks much better for speed.

[Craig]

It will take trials on different machines, different paper to come up with the best fit for your needs. Ours happened to be a Baum 20/20 with a set of Ultimate Scores.

[ondemandbindery]

Not enough info. If you are creasing prior to handfolding and getting cracking that leads me to believe something is going on with the scoring process. Type of stock, grain direction, type of fold and how you configure your orientation with the folding plates makes a difference. Give more details and you will get much more input.

[vaithi47]

thanks everybody.we do crease before hand folding or machine folding.when machine folding we adjust the roller pressure ,speed etc and get a neat folding.the problem is when we have to fold 200gsm and above which are hand folded.the cracking is more against the grain although there is cracking along the grain folding also.

[Keith]

What brand of paper are you using? I just tested this out recently as I don't do a lot of folded products. A customer of mine was really concerned about cracking and wanted his 100lb gloss text brochures scored. Using Endurance Digital I scored with the grain and it cracked very bad. So I got a few sheets of Futura Digital Gloss and Mohawk 50/10, scored them AGAINST the grain and they folded BEAUTIFULLY! This was a case of learning things the hard way. The Futura and Mohawk are more expensive than the Endurance for a very good reason.

I now have a carton of each on my floor and no longer stock the Endurance.

[ondemandbindery]

thanks everybody.we do crease before hand folding or machine folding.when machine folding we adjust the roller pressure ,speed etc and get a neat folding.the problem is when we have to fold 200gsm and above which are hand folded.the cracking is more against the grain although there is cracking along the grain folding also.

Give me a product scenario. What is your scoring system currently and type of folder and folding orientation and include plate configuration?

[steven574]

I have noticed that creasing 12x18 #100 Finch Opaque Digital even at the highest setting, there is still a little cracking. How bad is the cracking? Can you try another grain direction?

Steve
Soutbury Printing Centre
Southbury, CT

203-264-0102

[SnappySteve]

We use a Duplo DC-645 to score both offset and digital. Grain pretty much does not matter with ours - score it, fold it, sell it. The only time we get some cracks, which was mentioned above, is on lighter gloss texts - 70 & 80. If you are roll scoring your digital work on cover weight, it is going to crack. The Morgana products work well also, however, we do a lot of BC's so we went Duplo with the BC slit module.

[jzambole]

can anybody give some tips to avoid cracking of solids ptinted on the sheet when a)the sheet is folded on a folding machine b)when you do creasing/scoring on a machine and hand fold

If you have a folder do not invest in offline equipment. We have the Tri - Creaser product to eliminate fiber cracking. You can score with or against the grain it will make no difference with our product. You can score stocks that are 85 gsm to 350 gsm with no trouble. We also have creasing ribs available for UV coated stocks that are special creasing ribs. You can visit the following link to see them in action @ PRODUCT VIDEOS / Ph: (800).656.7766 x 34

They install on the exit shaft of your folder, and will crease 99% of all stocks without fiber cracking. There are other versions out there, but none are as effective as the Tri - Creaser.

Good luck, & we hope to hear from you.