The Primary Paper Property that Affects Density Range

A given ink, printed at a film thickness of one micron, on a wide range of stock, is known to produce solid ink densities (measured to the paper) ranging from a low of about 0.80 to a high of over 1.30 density units. This paper reports on the measurement of the properties of fifteen different substrates that were so printed and examines how well the various properties correlate with density range. In general, the properties studied can be categorized as relating to either the topographical, optical, or permeable characteristics of the papers. From the data obtained, it is concluded that the observed differences in density range are attributable to a single paper characteristic.