The Way to Score
December 31st, 2008 Filed under: Uncategorized — Advertising AuthorThe catalog printing process doesn’t end when the ink dries up. Not quite. Before you could even send them out, your print catalog needs the finishing touches. Like folding for example. You get the pages and fold them up. Simple, right? Not! There’s more to it if you really want your project to be successful. Just like a ballgame, you need to focus on getting the score for you to win.
Scoring, basically, is putting that perfect crease onto the paper. You see, when you apply the fold, it puts great pressure on your print catalog that causes a crack in the fold itself. So instead of getting a perfect catalog printing job, you end up with an unsightly and noticeable imperfection. This is especially true when the ink spreads everywhere. To prevent this error, you have to “score” the paper before folding.
There are several ways that you can score. Although each method differs from the way they are applied, they all have the basic concept of weakening the paper fibers by putting a hinge in the paper. This in turn produces that perfect fold line that lessens the stress on the paper. The end result: a precise and crisp fold to your catalog printing job.
LITHO SCORING is an on-press method where a scoring rule is mounted to an impression cylinder. Many printers though find this method difficult for top-quality jobs. Not only does the score rule move and bow, it also has a shoulder that many find challenging. It does help reduce the chances of cracking, if not totally prevent it.
LETTERPRESS SCORING, on the other hand, can be used to totally eliminate cracking. In letterpress scoring, a platen or a flatbed-cylinder letterpress is utilized to create a ridge in the paper. Applied with either a male die and matrix set, or a scoring/creasing rule and channel-creasing matrix, the end result is an accurate and high quality score.
ROTARY SCORING is a method that involves a scoring wheel. The downside- the scoring wheel is less effective when it comes to preventing a crack and creating that proper score. In fact, a metal rule performs better. Nevertheless, rotary scoring is best used if you want to locate the right fold to your print catalog.
Still on some catalog printing jobs, WET SCORING is applied to create a more pliable paper. Water and isopropyl alcohol is mixed and then injected to the area of the fold. The mixture helps soften the paper fibers for easier folding. A word of caution though- don’t use this method on coated stocks as the water creates beads on the coating rather than be absorbed by the fibers. Others use bleach to remedy this flaw, only to find out that it weakens the coating as well as alter the ink’s color.
No matter what method you use, there are two things that you should do to even out the score. One, make sure that the score is always wider and deeper than the thickness of your paper. And two, make sure that when you apply the score, the hinge is on the inside of the fold.
For more information, you can visit this page on catalog printing
