Re: Web Growth Question
The best way to minimize web growth (signature growth) is to run the lowest possible temperature in your ovens, while still drying the ink.
What is happening is the paper is absorbing moisture after the book is bound. The more heat you apply to the web during the drying process, the more moisture you are removing from the web.
The longer your ovens the lower you can run your web temps and still dry the ink. If you have good inks and 20 ft ovens you should be able to run your web temps between 200 - 210 degrees and still get a good set on the ink. Shorter ovens naturally require more heat to be applied, as the web is in the oven for a shorter period of time.
If you have short ovens you may have to slow the press down.
Signature growth is typically worse with uncoated stocks, but you can run lower temperatures on uncoated.