Heavy coverage side first or second ???

natty

Well-known member
Hi,

I remember reading that you should print the side with the heaviest coverage either first or second i can't recall... Can someone confirm which ???
 
Heavy coverage second. Reason being that any scratching or streaks are much more likely to occur when the heavy coverage side is faced downward.
 
Hi,

I remember reading that you should print the side with the heaviest coverage either first or second i can't recall... Can someone confirm which ???

Heaviest coverage 2nd. Light coverage first.
Heavy coverage can distort paper causing issues with second pass.
Also, heavy coverage side is more prone to scuffing and scratches if it goes through the press twice.
Also heavy coverage can require more spray powder which can cause debris for the second pass.

best, gordon p
 
As above have mentioned, though would add it is not allways simple to decide. It does depend on where the coverage is. In some cases a very high coverage does mean needing to use larger paper so job will not be spoilt. Some instances uneven coverage can be more problematic, especially on thin paper stock.
If ink coverage is above what we recommend as maximum, we sometimes may have to deviate from SID targets so that the job will be producable.
If coverage is very high you may need to make smaller stacks.
 
Can you expound on that thought a little?

Can you expound on that thought a little?

"In some cases a very high coverage does mean needing to use larger paper so job will not be spoilt."

We print some pretty high coverages, (solid pms with lighter vignetted pms over it) on all our book covers with only about 1/4" white margin on the left and right sides and tail of sheet, and someone had recently suggested that the pressman would like us better if he had more clear sheet margin around the outside edges. Wondered if that's what you're referring to and what your minimum recommendations would be, balanced of course with the increased paper costs.
 
Yes all advice above is very good. The extra width of the sheet is very helpful for placing star wheels onto the stocks surface to help with ballancing of the sheet so that it travels flatter. The flatter the sheet the less it will bend and touch stuff on its way through. Also when the sheet falls into the delivery if a edge of the sheet falls ahead of the body of the sheet then that edge may have a better chance of hitting a blank area before the whole sheet settles flat. The solid itself may be part of the cause a slight curl making uneven delivery? Grain direction may also affect the amount of curl especially with a solid...
 
The industry wide rule of thumb is to run light coverage first. Personally I like to go against the grain when I can. My rule of thumb is to think for yourself. Heavy coverages are prone to hickeys. They also tend to show powder a lot easier if ran on second pass. If you run it through first and you get hickeys it is much easier to run overs to accommodate for spoilage. Heavy coverages can cause sheet distortion but light coverage can as well, and the light coverage is usually more forgiving.
Don't just run heavy coverage on second pass because thats the way it has always been done. Your pressman should know if he can get that coverage through on the down side or not it all depends on the press, the ink, dry times, and durable scratch resistant coating.
 

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