Printability and Wearability.

To be practically meaningful, a concise definition of printability should include the factors associated with wearability. Too often, the best definitions of printability are postulated about the chemical and physical effects of paper and ink and describe the maximum beneficial effects on the first copies. Physical evidence in the form of photomicrographs of damaged letterpress plates, gravure etchings, and blind offset plates show how long-run printing quality may be sacrificed to first proof quality. This evidence warrants introducing the factor of wearability into any definition of printability. These factors impose no insurmountable obstacles in the press room. Measures are suggested whereby these effects of wearability may be recognized and eliminated.