1. Ink absorption
Various art papers absorb ink in a great span, such as: coaster paper absorbs ink easily, Lenny paper absorbs ink easily, and transparent paper absorbs ink difficultly. The ink absorption of coated paper is directly related to the quality of printed matter and the required delivery time. For the paper with poor ink absorption, a drier can be properly added to the ink or cured by ultraviolet light to avoid the dirty back and imprinting pulverization caused by slow ink drying. Of course, the structure of paper has a great influence on ink absorption. Some papers are loose and thick, and ink is easy to penetrate and dry; Others are very dense, and the ink floats on the surface of the paper, so it is not easy to penetrate into the paper and dry thoroughly. Coated paper with different ink absorption can usually be controlled by adjusting printing pressure and treating ink, and a certain amount of trial printing can be carried out first if necessary (the number depends on the need).
evenness
Due to different papermaking processes, some coated paper is loose and thick, and its smoothness is low; Some papers are compact and smooth. Art paper also has many papers with embossed effect (such as embossed paper) and striped effect (such as bamboo paper). When encountering this kind of paper, it is generally recommended to print less or even not, and use the natural relief of the paper to carry out some simple local treatments, such as embossing, UV glazing, hot stamping and so on. So as to basically retain the characteristics of the base paper and make full use of these characteristics to achieve the ideal decorative effect. Of course, if printing is needed, it is very necessary to control the printing pressure and analyze the specific problems. For example, when printing loose coated paper, the printing pressure should not be too high, otherwise it will destroy the obvious characteristics of the shading of this kind of coated paper and deform the paper. On the contrary, if the texture of coated paper is relatively tight, the printing pressure should be appropriately increased.
Printing and decorative effect of special paper
With the improvement of people's living standards, there are more and more kinds of paper, and special paper comes into being, which is widely used in various graphic designs, especially the design of high-end picture books and book covers, and is deeply loved by the masses. Special paper has the characteristics of compressibility, folding, easy processing and easy forming, which other packaging materials can't reach, and it is also a great advantage as a paper printing material.
Texture of paper
There are many kinds of special paper, and the expressive force of printing design is also very different. Designers must understand and master the characteristics and properties of different specialty papers in order to give full play to their respective advantages and design works with different styles, such as elegant, luxurious and festive, modern and simple.
Special paper has certain strength, light weight, uneven surface, texture, smoothness, luster and other different types, diverse colors and beautiful appearance. In particular, paper materials made of plant fibers are pollution-free and recyclable, which is the first choice for green packaging.
1. texture
Texture is the skin of an object, and it is also a modeling factor related to any object. The roughness or smoothness of an object's surface belongs to texture and must be perceived through vision and touch. Texture is neither a form nor a color, it is a modeling factor that needs special feeling.
Texture can be divided into two categories: one is tactile texture that can be touched by hand, and the other is visual texture that can be felt through vision.
(1) tactile texture
The tactile texture is very direct. As long as you touch it, the blind can feel it, but after being photographed, it loses the directness of the tactile cognitive texture.
In recent years, in order to make people feel the tactile pleasure of its surface, paper and other packaging materials often use a wide variety of special paper materials with different textures, such as embossed paper and mesh paper, which is dizzying. The tactile textures of offset paper, coated paper and special paper are obviously different, so their artistic expressions are also different.
(2) Visual texture
We watch TV every day. Television picture tubes are made of glass, which is very smooth. However, the kind of texture people feel in TV pictures is the visual texture produced by awakening the sense of touch through vision, not the real texture.
Paper is a kind of flat material, which can make people feel the visual texture of the material through graphics, such as stripes, color shading, etc., all of which are designed by using human visual texture.
2. The application of texture in printing design
In recent painting and printing design, texture has been paid more and more attention, and it is not uncommon for texture to be made and transformed into works. The effect of printing on rough paper can further improve the texture, even the small patterns printed on Mamesilip paper with fine concave-convex effect have good visual texture effect. In printing design, the use of rough and shiny paper is a very important texture design.
Texture of paper
1. texture-the texture of the object surface.
Any object has different surfaces, and different materials have different textures. This is texture.
Some of the textures on the surface of objects are naturally formed, and some are obtained through manufacturing. Various materials for printing, such as metal, plastic, ceramics, glass, paper and special paper, all belong to the latter. Different textures have different textures, such as hard and soft, concave and convex, thick and thin, sparse and dense, deep and shallow. The staggered arrangement of plant fibers in paper, dense and shiny metal materials and smooth and wrinkle-free plastic surface all constitute different texture effects.
2. Visual texture and tactile texture
Texture is divided into visual texture and tactile texture. Visual texture is a kind of texture that the eyes feel, such as stripes and concave-convex patterns displayed on the screen, but they are all two-dimensional textures. Texture is generally obtained by pressing, die cutting, carving and other processing methods. It is a three-dimensional texture that can be felt by the hand. In graphic design, more and more designers use the texture and texture of special paper to design many excellent works.
Special paper has better texture and texture than ordinary paper, which provides inexhaustible materials for design from both macro and micro worlds.
Application of Special Paper in Printing Design
There are many kinds of special paper, and the design effect is not the same. This paper only introduces the application of several kinds of commonly used special paper.
1. Plant parchment (sulfuric acid paper)
Plant parchment is a kind of denatured processing paper, which changes the original properties of thick paper after sulfuric acid treatment with plant fibers. Translucent, few pores, tough and dense paper, which can be waxed, coated, embossed or wrinkled. Its appearance is easily confused with tracing paper.
Because it is translucent paper, sulfuric acid paper is often used as a ring lining or lining paper for books in modern design, which can better highlight and contrast the theme and conform to the modern trend. Sometimes it is also used as the title page of books or picture books. Printing gold, silver or graphics on sulfuric acid paper is unique and is generally used in high-grade picture books. As shown in figure 2.
2. Synthetic paper (polymer paper and plastic paper)
Synthetic paper is a material made of synthetic resin (such as PP, PE, PS, etc.). ) is the main raw material, which is melted by a certain process, made into a film by extrusion and stretching, and then made into paper to give it whiteness, opacity and printability of natural plant fibers. Generally, synthetic paper is divided into two categories: one is fiber synthetic paper and the other is film synthetic paper.
Synthetic paper is no different from ordinary natural plant fiber paper in appearance. Film synthetic paper enters the high-grade printing paper market and can adapt to various printing machines. The synthetic paper used in the market now only refers to the film-type synthetic paper. Books and periodicals, advertisements, brochures, etc. Printed with synthetic paper, if not marked, it will not be distinguished from ordinary paper.
Synthetic paper has excellent printing performance, and there will be no "paper shredding" phenomenon when printing; The surface roughness of synthetic paper is very small, which is very helpful to improve opacity and printability. Synthetic paper has good image reproducibility, clear dot, soft tone, stable size and is not easy to age. The printing effect of synthetic paper is shown in Figure 3. It is worth noting that professional synthetic paper offset printing ink should be used when offset printing is used.
3. Silk paper
Characteristics of (1) embossed paper
A concave-convex pattern is formed on the surface of paper or paperboard by mechanical embossing or creasing. Embossed paper improves the decorative effect by embossing, which makes the paper more textured. In recent years, surface embossing of printing paper has become more and more common. Color paper such as offset paper, coated paper, whiteboard paper and white cardboard is embossed (textured) before printing, which can greatly improve the grade of paper and bring higher added value to paper sales. Many papers used for flexible packaging often use embossing before or after printing to improve the visual effect of packaging and decoration and the value of goods. Therefore, embossing has become an important method of paper processing.
(2) Processing method of embossed paper
Embossed paper has two processing methods. First, after the paper is produced, patterns are added mechanically to become embossed paper; Secondly, after the flat base paper is completely dried, it is put into a embossing machine for further processing, and then pressed by two rollers, one of which is engraved with an embossed pattern, and the paper will be embossed into a pattern after passing through. Because the texture of embossed paper is deep, usually only one side of the paper is embossed.
(3) the type of embossing
Embossing can be divided into two types: overprint embossing and non-overprint embossing. The so-called overprint embossing is to press the printed flower shape into a concave-convex shape according to the printed flower shape, so that the pattern is raised, which can play the role of aesthetic decoration.
There is no overprint embossing, and the embossed pattern is not directly related to the printed pattern. There are many kinds of embossed patterns. Such as cloth pattern, twill pattern, straight stripe, sub-net pattern, orange peel pattern, straight mesh pattern, needle mesh pattern, egg peel pattern, sack pattern, check pattern, leather pattern, scalp pattern, linen pattern and gear stripe. This non-overprint embossing is widely used for embossing decorative materials such as printing paper, coated paper, patent paper, plastic synthetic paper and plant parchment.
Most of the embossed paper in China is offset paper and whiteboard paper. The surface is rough, textured, expressive and changeable. Many art designers prefer to use this paper to make the cover and title page of books or picture books to express different personalities.
4. patterned paper
Designers and printers are constantly looking for unique design styles to make their works stand out. Many times patterned paper can make them icing on the cake. This high-quality paper product is soft to the touch, gorgeous in appearance, and the finished product is more noble and pleasing to the eye. There are many kinds of patterned paper, each with its own characteristics, which is higher than ordinary paper. Pattern paper can be divided into the following categories:
(1) Copy screen paper
Copying the screen is the most traditional and commonly used method to make the paper texture. This process is usually inserted into the paper making process. Wet paper is placed between two absorbent soft flannelette, and the lines and textures of the flannelette will be printed on the paper. This process is divided into single-sided printing or double-sided printing. The line patterns of screen paper such as just ancient striped paper are looming, and the texture is soft. Some imported reticulated paper contains cotton, so the texture is softer and more natural, and it is flexible and suitable for packaging and printing.
(2) Antique effect paper
Many customers and graphic designers have a special liking for high-quality plain uncoated paper, and love the warm and rich feeling of this paper. In addition, book publishers also require the paper to be more durable, and hope that the paper is fresh and crisp to ensure the stable and consistent printing effect. The products designed with antique effect paper are simple, beautiful and generous. As shown in fig. 7.
(3) Dopant and special paper
With the popularity of environmental protection, spotted paper came into being. In order to achieve the effect of natural circulation, various impurities were added to the pulp. The weight and size of dopants should be properly controlled. Too many miscellaneous points on the paper will destroy the graphic effect, and too few will give people a sticky feeling. At present, there are many kinds of doped papers on the market for users to choose from. Some environmentally-friendly recycled papers contain impurities such as minerals, snow and petals. Its papermaking technology includes adding dyes in the sizing process to make the paper form spots or create parchment effect. This kind of paper is deeply loved by consumers and is the first choice for various certificates, book covers, restaurant menus and wine lists. Because of its special paper appearance, designers often use it as the first choice for printing simple printed matter and boring manuscripts, such as various financial statements of listed companies' annual reports, which can make the layout active and eye-catching.
(4) uncoated pattern paper
Printers and designers appreciate uncoated paper that is beautiful and feels good. In order to make the printed matter achieve good visual effect, it has a high-grade and gorgeous feeling. The natural texture of uncoated paper and the printability of coated paper are compromised. Both sides of this paper are specially treated, which reduces the water absorption of the paper, makes the printing ink stay on the paper surface, and makes the ink feel better. Metal pearl paper series can change with the different visual angles of human eyes, and the printing effect is better.
(5) just ancient paper.
Gangu brand special paper, founded in A.D. 1888, was originally the watermark of London Castle of Conqueror, and it was not until the early 1990s that it was changed to knight plus English watermark. This unique watermark is world-famous and has become the symbol and code of high-quality commercial, writing and printing paper. It is sold in more than 80 countries and regions around the world and is deeply loved by hotels, banks, enterprises and even government agencies. It's just that ancient paper is divided into noble, slippery, grain, concept, number and so on.
(6) "Solidification" of pearlescent paper
The tone of paper can produce different color feelings according to the change of viewing angle. Its luster is formed by the diffusion and refraction of light on the paper surface, which has the effect of "flashing silver", so it will be excellent to print patterns with metal characteristics. Suitable for making all kinds of high-grade, exquisite and modern fashion prints. The cover of a high-end book or a hardcover book.
The paper surface is smooth and flat, which is suitable for various printing technologies and processing methods, such as four-color offset printing, roll cutting, hot stamping and so on.
It is recommended to use oxidized conjunctival dry ink, the gloss of which may not be as good as the paper itself.
(7) "Star Mining" metal pattern paper
Metal "Star Mining" patterned paper is a kind of art paper which breaks through the tradition and has a brand-new concept. It not only retains the classic and aesthetic feeling inherent in high-grade paper, but also creatively has the metallic tones on both sides, which is luxurious but not tacky, stable and not unassuming, making it show a strong temperament different from ordinary art paper.
The metal "star mining" adopts new technology, the metal characteristics never fall off, and the paper surface is smooth. On the contrary, it adds endless courage to the printing effect. Suitable for various printing technologies and special processes, especially the performance of hot stamping process. It is suggested that the number of screen lines should be 130 ~ 150 lines/inch when printing, and the ink color will be aggravated when printing on dark metal patterned paper.
Metal "Star Mine" can make all kinds of high-grade printed matter, such as paper used as product samples, covers of annual reports and books, and used in various packaging boxes.
(8) Gold paper
Gold paper is qualitatively different from traditional gold foil. Traditional gold foil can only be printed with transparent materials, and can't be directly colored and printed. Using 24K gold as the material, the gold paper developed by nanotechnology can not only directly print color images on gold, but also retain the elegance and performance of gold. It has the characteristics of anti-oxidation, anti-discoloration, moisture-proof and moth-proof, and avoids the shortcomings of traditional paper books that are easy to be moldy and moth-eaten. Theoretically, it can be preserved for 10 thousand years. The gold paper used in "China Shi Sheng" is a newly developed new generation product with higher scientific and cultural content. Its appearance is more similar to ancient rice paper and news newspaper, especially its flame retardancy has made a major breakthrough for the first time. The 20 gold editions of the text are printed in four colors in the format of Economic Daily, with pictures and texts, totaling nearly 6.5438+0.6 million words, and there are 300 gold editions of people and scenery. The quantity and layout of gold paper are unprecedented, and it is also unprecedented in the history of gold printing.
In addition, in addition to different paper types, special paper is also dyed in different colors, which has a strong decorative effect. Special paper has many advantages, but it also has some disadvantages.
First, the price is more expensive. Ordinary embossed paper is much more expensive than the same amount of similar paper, so a large number of albums printed with embossed paper are generally only used for the design and printing of covers or important materials because of the price factor that customers can't afford.
Secondly, most specialty papers have good absorbability and strong penetrability. However, due to uneven lines, ink seeps into gaps during printing, especially large-area field editions, which are difficult to dry and easy to get dirty. When printing a four-color superimposed image of a character, the tone is relatively flat. When consumers who don't like soft tones don't understand why the color of products printed on special paper is not bright enough, when printing on special paper, they must communicate with customers to avoid unnecessary losses.
Third, when printing color specialty paper, we should pay attention not to print four-color images on the surface of dark specialty paper. Only printing inks with metallic luster or spot color, such as gold, silver, spot color, etc.
If four-color halftone images, such as beige, light green, light blue and light pink, are printed on the surface of light-colored special paper, there will be color cast, and the general tone will be biased towards the paper color. Therefore, it is best not to print halftone images with colored paper when designing. However, if we can correctly use different styles and colors of special paper to design works, it will have unexpected special effects, icing on the cake and adding a lot of color to the works.
Fourthly, using various post-press processing methods on the surface of special paper will also produce different styles. For example, hot stamping and embossing on the surface of special paper are very good.
Concluding remarks
There are many kinds of special paper, which is the general name of all kinds of special purpose paper or art paper. Now sellers call art paper such as embossed paper special paper, mainly to simplify all kinds of terminology confusion. Designers and printers should pay special attention to their choices. Sometimes the varieties are different and the prices vary greatly. Whether it is ordinary paper or special paper, its surface has different textures, and people feel different about smoothness, roughness, delicacy and whiteness. We can make different choices according to the surface properties of the substrate, and design works that conform to the trend, are personalized and have different styles, so as to show the design theme and carry out printing.