Rough Side/Smooth Side Paper

ReflexBlueHorror

Active member
My question stems from handling genuine sheep/calfskin vellum, where there's a smooth 'flesh' side that's prized for writing, and the rough 'hair' side that is not favored.

When you encounter papers which have this quality - one side smooth, the other rough (such as Zerkall papers, or even Munken) - however subtle it is, how do you refer to it in terminology? Smooth/Feltmarked? Or something else?

In your print process, do you ignore it or make note of it for a particular reason? (On that note too, does the paper arrive in a predictable manner - say, rough side all facing up)

Looking forward to the comments here!
 
As I understand it: Most papers have a "Felt Side" and a "Wire Side". For decades paper machines had a Wire mesh that the pulp slurry would spray out onto and a little later in the process a cloth Felt would run along the top of the sheet, to soak up more water. The wire side was the bottom of the sheet which was rough and typically had a slight wire pattern to it while the top, Felt side, was a smoother superior side. But as the process modernized the "Wire" mesh evolved into a smooth nylon mesh and of course the "Felts" also became smoother and smoother making the two sides of the sheet harder and harder to distinguish. Over this time, many of the paper machine technology evolved to "Twin wire machines" as now the pulp slurry is fed between two levels of wires (top and bottom) and then two levels of "Felts" (top and bottom) so the true Felt/ Wire side designation has come down to just describing the top side of a sheet and the bottom side. For coated papers the manufactures fill the surface of the Felt side with a heavier coat while the Wire side receives a slightly less amount, in an attempt to make the two sides as even as possible. With un-coated paper it is very machine dependent as the Felt side can be the smoother side or rougher and may, or may or not, print better. But overall the differences are minimal compared to years ago and much better than genuine sheep Vellum. In general the "better" side will be up in a box.
 

PressWise

A 30-day Fix for Managed Chaos

As any print professional knows, printing can be managed chaos. Software that solves multiple problems and provides measurable and monetizable value has a direct impact on the bottom-line.

“We reduced order entry costs by about 40%.” Significant savings in a shop that turns about 500 jobs a month.


Learn how…….

   
Back
Top