Writing has a very important place in human history. With the discovery and development of paper, the momentum of civilization increased, knowledge and experience began to spread rapidly across the globe, intercultural interaction accelerated, and civilization increased day by day.
Paper, which was discovered and started to be used by the Chinese in the second century BC, continues its production process, which started in simple hand looms, in large industrial factories today. The basic raw material of paper, which is produced in different qualities and thicknesses according to its intended use, is wood fibers. Although these fibers vary according to the type of tree, they have a length between 1 – 3 mm.
During paper production, paper machines lay the pulp on moving screens along a long belt, separating the pulp water and allowing the fibers and additives to become paper. As these fibers flow over the screen, they are aligned in the direction of flow due to vibration. During paper production, the direction of water is in the production direction of the paper machine.
Papers are produced in wide bobbins and these bobbins are sliced to the width they will be used commercially after they leave production. The reels are also sheeted and packaged in sizing machines for sheet printing. The water direction of the paper is indicated on the ready-to-use paper packages. If this direction is parallel to the long side of the paper, it is defined as the long water direction, and if it is parallel to the short side, it is defined as the short water direction.
Why grain direction is important ?
The grain direction of the paper is important both during and after printing. Especially in folding, perforating and cutting processes after printing, the paper reacts differently according to the grain direction. As a result, the water direction of the paper parallel to the back of the finished size of the printed work facilitates post-printing processes. In order for the backs of printed products such as files, brochures and catalogs to be smoother, the water direction of the paper should be parallel to the spine.
How to understand the grain direction?
The water direction of the paper is most easily recognized by folding or tearing the paper in both axes. If the spine of the folded paper looks smooth, the water path is parallel to the spine. If it appears slightly jagged, the water path is perpendicular to the spine. If the torn paper tears smoothly, the water direction is parallel to the tear axis; if it tears unevenly, the water direction is perpendicular to the tear axis.
Finishing…
Short grain papers should be preferred for low weight small size prints. For high weight papers,grain direction parallel to the cylinder axis of the machine gives better results. In book and brochure production, the grain direction should be parallel to the spine of the work regardless of the finished size. If it is reversed, it may be difficult to turn the pages on hard papers and may cause fluctuations. In the production of various advertising materials and documents, attention should also be paid to the grain direction of the paper. The grain direction should be parallel to the support edges of such products. If it is perpendicular, waist bending may be encountered.
Tugba is an enthusiastic, self-motivated, reliable, responsible, and hard-working person for 30 years in printing business. As a result of her deep passion for printing, she is consistently improved in her previous position, forcing her to take on new challenges. She is the sales director for Europe at Print Solution Centre, LLC.
