New Ways for Testing the Printability of Gravure Papers.

The paper properties which are usually measured in attempts to predict printability are listed, the inadequacy of such measurements is discussed, and the need for investigating interactions between ink and paper in order to assess printability is pointed out. The application of studies of interfacial phenomena to printability evaluation is examined with regard to the measurement of ink-paper contact angles and of the ink's surface tension, and to the production of wetting curves for specific ink-paper combinations. The objective assessment of print quality as another means of judging printability is considered. The application of information theory to reproduction by printing, and particularly to the transfer of ink to paper, is discussed, the determination of the contrast-transmission function for different papers and the correlation between this function and printability are briefly considered. A gravure test printing machine designed by the Rotary Co. in Siegburg for Burda Druck und Verlag GmbH is also described.