What is Moisture Curl

Regardless of what you are printing and what your printing project will be used for, you want it to look its best for as long as possible and be able to withstand environmental pressures to allow it to deliver your message loud and clear. Therefore, you want to make sure you choose the highest quality paper you can as it will have the best production techniques, and as a result, the best performance.

For example, when paper is made, both sides of a sheet are dried and finished at the same time but by individual components of the paper press. Because this is the case, both sides of a sheet of paper can react differently to changes in moisture content in the air and this can cause moisture curl. As the name suggests, moisture curl is not something which will ensure your message printed on that curled piece of paper, will arrive and be carefully considered.

Paper which is especially subject to moisture curl is paper which is coated on only one side. When exposed to moisture physically or in the air, both sides of the paper will react differently, and the paper will curl towards the coated side because this is the side which is more immune to water and moisture and has a higher dimensional stability.

However, moisture curl can also occur in uncoated paper when there have been different stresses exerted on either side of the paper as it was made. This occurs because the individual sides of the paper will react independently of each other as they have had different moisture reaction properties instilled in them at the time of production.

For more information and advice about choosing paper which will be the most resistant to moisture curl and provide your printing project the best platform on which to shine, contact Print Compare now.