Effect of Papermaking Conditions on the Ink Absorption and Overprint Accuracy of Paper

The ink-absorption capacity is an important factor for evaluating the printing quality of paper. In this study, the effects of different parameters of papermaking on the ink-absorption capacity of paper were investigated. The results showed that hardwood pulp exhibited better performance in increasing the absorptivity of paper compared with softwood pulp. When the content of hardwood pulp in paper was increased from 0% to 100%, the ink mark length decreased from 5.1 cm to 4.3 cm. Furthermore, a basis weight change from 100 g/m2 to 60 g/m2 increased the ink-absorption capacity, as revealed by a decrease of the ink mark length from 4.8 cm to 4.4 cm. Both sizing agent and beating degree affected the ink-absorption performance of the paper. For example, a shorter ink mark length of 5.1 cm was obtained at a low beating degree of 5000 r compared with that of 5.1 cm at 15000 r.