Grain - Xerox Nuvera 100 roduction Systems Paper Manual

Selecting stock

Grain

During the paper making process, most of the paper fibers align parallel to each other. When
sheets are cut, they are either grain-long (fibers are parallel to the longer dimension of the
sheet) or grain-short (fibers are parallel to the shorter dimension of the sheet).
Grain is an important consideration when sheets will be folded. Xerox recommends using paper
that will allow you to fold with the grain. Folding printed sheets against the grain will cause
paper and paper coating to crack and reveal more of the paper color at the fold.
The grain direction may be specified on the paper packaging.
• Some manufacturers add the words "long" or "short" to the label to indicate paper grain.
• LG and SG are common abbreviations for long grain and short grain.
– In Europe, A3SG indicates A3 size paper with short grain.
– A4LG indicates A4 size paper with long grain.
• Most manufacturers in North America underline the paper dimension that corresponds to
the grain.
• It is also common in North America to write the grain dimension as the second of the two
dimensions (dimension x grain dimension).
Grain direction is also important when using lightweight and heavyweight papers. Load
lightweight papers into paper trays with the grain parallel to the front (outboard) edge of the
tray to increase stiffness. Load heavyweight papers with the grain parallel to the lead (left side)
edge of the tray so it will bend easier as it moves through the system. Load middleweight
papers with the grain in either direction. The weight ranges for the Xerox Nuvera Systems are
displayed in the following table.
Paper type Weight range in gsm
Normal (Light) weight 56 to 84 gsm uncoated bond
56 to 84 gsm uncoated offset
Medium weight 85 to 105 gsm uncoated
Heavy weight 106 to 220 gsm uncoated
140 to 220 gsm coated
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Xerox Nuvera
Paper Guide