Re: fabriano paper

On Thu, 6 May 2004, Christina Z. Anderson wrote:
> However, if the sizing is suitably retained after a preshrink and you can
> print three layers of gum on that with no added sizing and no staining and
> get a snappy gum print, I call that a suitable paper.

Chris, do I understand the above correctly -- that you size first and
THEN shrink? If so, why?

I'll add, for the record, that contrary to what you said later in this
thread you have been led to believe (some authors write anything that
comes into their heads, confident that nobody knows any better and if they
do, who are they gonna tell?) --- all papers do NOT NOT NOT shrink the
same. And they don't shrink the same with every shrink, either.

A few years ago I did a "shrink test" of about 10 different papers...
with 2 pencil marks at 27 inches (or the longest dimension) and then
at whatever it was in the other dimension on fresh-from-the-factory
paper, checking the measurement after each of 3 hot soaks. Some shrank on
each soak, but not the same amount, most shrank in only one dimension, but
some shrank in both dimensions, but more in one than the other, some
actually got larger again after another soak (maybe it was a very humid
day -- that was before I had an RH meter) and so forth and so on. There
really was no general "rule," except I did disprove the statement in Luis
Nadeau's gum book that the *greatest* shrink is with the hardening step.
After the 3 shrinks and THEN the gum size and hardening after that, I
found minimal change.

Not that it matters -- what matters is that the paper should be, if
possible, finished with its shrinking before the first coat. But the
exercise did shed some light on re-register issues.

(Also, as noted earlier, I found that one very long soak in room temp
water equalled a soak in boiling water, tho I only did that on one paper.)

Still, I don't understand why you would size before shrinking... I gather
it's not giving you any problems -- since you're getting your coats OK,
but ..... well, maybe you're so adept and foresighted you never desire
more coats?

Judy
Received on Thu May 6 13:56:46 2004