conformance of imported and indian newsprint to din … · conformance of imported and indian...

Conformance of Imported and Indian Newsprint to DIN 19306-4

Regional ReseaRch india

Shaping the Future of the Newspaper

2

conformance of imported and indian newsprint to din 19306-4

Published by WAN-IFRA South AsiaIII Floor, SIET Admin. Building54 KB Dasan Road, TeynampetChennai 600018Tel. +91.44.4211 0640Fax +91.44.2435 9744www.wan-ifra.org

CEO: Christoph Riess

www.wan-ifra.org

impRint

intRoduction

IntroductionIn the recent years, the complexities of produc-

tion have increased in the Indian newspaper in-

dustry, due to growing circulations and introduc-

tion of more editions and supplements. Printing

plants have to cope with higher print runs and

more numbers of editions and supplements – all

with the same available time. Indian publishers

are increasingly investing in high speed presses

to meet these growing needs. Apart from this,

the expectation on print quality is also very high

in the newspaper industry. Thanks to the stand-

ardization efforts of WAN-IFRA and the growing

participation of Indian newspapers in INCQC (In-

ternational Newspaper Color Quality Club), the

entire newspaper industry is trying to achieve in-

ternational standards in print quality.

The need for the day is consistent, efficient and

high quality newspaper production. As with

other modern industries, the quality of raw ma-

terials play a major role in determining the qual-

ity and efficiency of the production. Newsprint

is the most important raw material along with

newsink in our industry.

Newsprint forms the bulk of production cost and

is the most important raw material in newspa-

per production. Therefore, it is very important for

publishing houses to develop purchasing speci-

fications and study the properties of incoming

newsprint batch to batch.

The demand for newsprint in India is met by both

Indian and imported newsprint. In the current

scenario, many newspapers in India use more

imported newsprint than Indian newsprint. It

is a common trend in many newspapers to use

imported newsprint for color pages and Indian

newsprint for black and white pages. Several ad-

vanced printing plants with high speed presses

runs only imported newsprint – the reason cited

is the better runnability characteristics of import-

ed newsprint.

With this background, WAN-IFRA Research and

Material Testing Centre (RMTC) conducted a re-

search study on the conformance of the news-

print used by Indian publishers, both Indian and

imported newsprint, to DIN 19306-4. There is no

comprehensive ISO standard for newsprint and

the German standard for newsprint is the only

one that is available. Since the paper business is

a global business, we can apply the DIN standard

internationally.

The objective of the study is to

� Find the quality levels of Indian and Imported

newsprint in comparison with DIN 19306-4

� Identify the problem areas

� Find out the effect of the problems in the

productivity of newspaper production

A total of 17 newsprint samples, 9 Imported and

8 Indian, were tested for the parameters speci-

fied in DIN 19306-4.

Anand Srinivasan

Research Engineer

WAN-IFRA South Asia

Tel: +91.44.4211 0640

[email protected]

www.wan-ifra.org/rmtc

3

4

table of contents

1.0 An introduction to DIN 19306-4 ............................................... 5

2.0 Study at WAN-IFRA Research and Material Testing Centre ......... 6

2.1 Test conditions .................................................................. 6

3.0 Conformance of tested newsprint to DIN 19306-4 .................... 7

3.1 Conformance of imported newsprint at a glance ............ 7

3.2 Conformance of Indian newsprint at a glance ................. 7

3.3 Conformance of newsprint to standard in detail ............. 8

3.3.1 Grammage ..................................................................... 8

3.3.2 Newsprint shade ............................................................. 9

3.3.3 Tensile strength and Elongation ..................................... 10

3.3.4 Opacity .......................................................................... 10

3.3.5 Tearing strength ............................................................. 11

3.3.6 Roughness ..................................................................... 11

4.0 Printability of Newsprint ........................................................... 12

4.1 Ink consumption ............................................................ 12

4.2 Set-off and Print-through ............................................... 12

4.3 Pick test ......................................................................... 13

5.0 Conclusion ............................................................................... 15

6.0 Appendices .............................................................................. 16

6.1 Abbreviation list ............................................................. 16

6.2 References ..................................................................... 16

6.3 Acknowledgement ......................................................... 16

1intRoduction to din 19306-4

1. An introduction to DIN 19306-4There is no dedicated ISO standard for newsprint.

ISO 12647-3, the ISO standard for cold-set news-

paper production, only specifies the shade requi-

rement for newsprint. However, apart from sha-

de, there are other important parameters that

are relevant to a newsprint buyer.

The properties of newsprint can be broadly clas-

sified as

� Basic properties: grammage, moisture con-

tent and ash content

� Optical properties: shade, brightness and

opacity

� Structural properties: surface roughness and

porosity

� Mechanical properties: tensile strength, elon-

gation and tearing resistance

Each of these properties directly affects the prin-

tability and runnability of newsprint and we need

specifications for these parameters as well.

The German standard DIN has a dedicated stan-

dard for newsprint – DIN 19306-4. This standard

provides comprehensive delivery specification for

newsprint. It specifies minimum requirement for

� Grammage

� Relative equilibrium/moisture content

� Roughness

� Tensile strength

� Elongation

� Specific volume (Bulk)

� Opacity

� Tearing strength

� Printability - Picking

� Oil absorption

DIN 19306-4 can be universally adopted by pu-

blishers to develop purchasing specifications for

newsprint

Table 1: Specifications of DIN 19306-4

S.No Parameter Mimimum requirement Test according to1 Relative equilibrium moisture

content (%)50 +/- 6 DIN 53118

2 Grammage, g/m2 for 45 GSM 45 +/- 2% DIN EN ISO 536

3 PPS Roughness, microns 2.0 to 6.0 DIN ISO 8791-4

4 Tensile strength MD (kN/m) ≥ 2.0 DIN EN ISO 1924-2

5 Elongation MD (%) 0.9 to 1.4 DIN EN ISO 1924-2

6 Specific volume, Bulk (cm³/g) 1.2 to 1.6 DIN EN ISO 534

7 Opacity % 40 g/m²: >9142.5 g/m²: >9245 g/m²: >92.548.8 g/m² > 9452 g/m²: >94

ISO 2471:1998

8 Tearing strength CD (mN) >250 DIN EN 21974

9 Printability. No paper dependent dusting, picking or linting may occur

Due to missing test methods the minimum number of impressions before paper-related cleaning should be agreed upon as criteria.

10 Oil absorption (g/m²) 10 - 25 DIN EN 20535, but medium is Castor oil

MD - Machine Direction, CD - Cross Direction

5

2 study at wan-ifRa ReseaRch and mateRial testing centRe

2. Study at WAN-IFRA Research and Material Testing CentreAt WAN-IFRA RMTC, we collected samples of 17

newsprint varieties, 9 imported and 8 Indian, and

tested them for selected parameters specified in

DIN 19306-4. Apart from that, we also tested

them for additional printability parameters. The

following tests were carried out

� Grammage

� Newsprint shade (according to ISO 12647-3)

� Printability - Ink consumption, Set-off, Print-

through and pick test (Linting)

� Roughness

� Tensile strength

� Elongation

� Bulk

� Tearing strength

In addition to testing, a questionnaire was sent

to those publishers, who sent the samples, to get

the user feedback about the varieties tested. The

test results were compared with the user feed-

back to see if there was a correlation between

test results and the actual performance in pro-

duction. The details of the study are the subject

of this report.

2.1 Test conditionsAll the tests were carried out in accordance to

the recommended test procedures as specified in

DIN 19306-4.

The grammage, shade and all the printability

tests were carried out at RMTC and the other

tests were done at the newsprint testing facility

at ABP Pvt. Ltd.,

Table 2: Testing equipment details

Characteristics Equipment detailsGrammage Mettler Toledo precision balance

Newsprint shade X-rite 530 spectrodensitometer

Printability testing

IGT AIC 2-5T 2000

Roughness Bendtsen Roughness Tester

Tensile Strength MD [kN/m]

Tensile Strength Tester (Vertical, Microprocessor based)

Elongation MD [%]

Tensile Strength Tester (Vertical, Microprocessor based)

Specific Volume, bulk [cm3/g]

Thickness Micrometer

Opacity [%] Reflectance Meter

Tearing Strength CD [mN]

Elmendorf Type Tearing Strength Tester

6

3confoRmance of the tested newspRint to din 19306-4

Table 3: Conformance of Imported newsprint at a glance

Sample name

Test parameters and the newsprint‘s conformance to DIN 19306-4

GrammageShade (ISO 12647-3)

Tensile strength Elongation Bulk Opacity

Tearing strength

Imported 1 No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Imported 2 Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes


Imported 4 Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes

Imported 5 No Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes





Table 4: Conformance of Indian newsprint at a glance

Sample name

Test parameters and the newsprint‘s conformance to DIN 19306-4

GrammageShade (ISO 12647-3)

Tensile strength Elongation Bulk Opacity

Tearing strength

Indian 1 No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes

Indian 2 Yes Yes Yes No Yes No Yes

Indian 3 No Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes

Indian 4 Yes Yes No No Yes Yes Yes

Indian 5 No No No Yes No Yes Yes

Indian 6 No No No No No Yes Yes



3. Conformance of the tested newsprint to DIN 19306-4

3.1 Conformance of imported newsprint at a glanceA simple analysis of table 3 shows that imported

newsprint can be characterized by

� Adequate grammage control in the manuf-

acturing process

� Shade in conformance with ISO standards

� Excellent mechanical properties, except for

overall non-conformance in elongation and

bulk

3.2 Conformance of Indian newsprint at a glanceA simple analysis of table 4 shows that Indian

newsprint can be characterized by

� Inadequate grammage control in the manuf-

acturing process

� Non-conformance with ISO 12647-3 shade

specification in many of the varieties

� Non-conformance to standards in the mecha-

nical properties, especially in tensile strength

7

3 confoRmance of the tested newspRint to din 19306-4

3.3. Conformance of newsprint to standard – in detail

3.3.1. Grammage

Imported newsprint: From table 5, we can

see fairly good grammage control in imported

newsprint. The grammages are around 45 gsm

mostly. There are two instances of non-confor-

mance. GSM lower than 45 (Imported 1) is ad-

vantageous for newspapers as long as it does

not affect the runnability of a newsprint. Con-

sidering that, we can infer that there is only one

instance of higher gsm (Imported 5), which is of

concern.

Table 5: Grammage of imported newsprint

Sample name

Grammage (gsm)

Deviation from target 45 gsm in %

Imported 1 44.07 -2.07%

Imported 2 45.57 1.27%

Imported 3 44.61 -0.87%

Imported 4 44.92 -0.18%

Imported 5 46.04 2.31%

Imported 6 44.73 -0.60%

Imported 7 45.56 1.24%

Imported 8 45.09 0.20%

Imported 9 44.33 -1.49%

Indian newsprint: From Table 6, we can in-

fer that the grammage control overall in Indian

newsprint, is inadequate. Except for two samples

that showed good grammage, others showed

too high or too low grammage. Sample, Indian

3 showed 10.6% higher grammage and sample,

Indian 5 showed 7.2% higher grammage than

the specification, which is unacceptable. Similar-

ly two other samples showed nearly 5% higher

grammage – unacceptable too.

Table 6: Grammage of Indian newsprint

Sample name

Grammage (gsm)

Deviation from target 45 gsm in %

Indian 1 45.92 2.04%

Indian 2 44.58 -0.93%

Indian 3 49.77 10.60%

Indian 4 44.58 -0.93%

Indian 5 48.22 7.16%

Indian 6 47.25 5.00%

Indian 7 47.53 5.62%

Indian 8 42.93 -4.60%

Grammage is certainly a big issue, as newsprint is

procured based on weight. A 10% higher gram-

mage than specification is as good as 10% high-

er cost. Neither the paper manufacturer nor the

publisher benefits from such a deal. This issue

has to be addressed immediately.

In the user feedback questionnaire, all the 8 In-

dian varieties were reported for batch to batch

variation in the grammage, while 3 out of 9 Im-

ported varieties were reported for grammage

variation batch to batch. This is another area

of improvement for both Indian and imported

newsprint.

8


3.3.2. Newsprint shadeThe shade of newsprint is an important parame-

ter as it is a key element in determining the the

color gamut of a printing process. ISO 12647-3

has specified the shade of newsprint.

Table 7: Specification for newsprint shade

L* a* b* ΔL Δa* Δb*

82 0 3 4 2 2

Imported newsprint: The shades of all the te-

sted imported newsprint were in conformance

within the tolerances specified in ISO 12647-3.

Four newsprint samples had L* value above L*80

and four newsprint samples above L*79. One of

them had a value below L*79.

Table 8: Shade of Imported newsprint

Sample name

Shade (Topside) Confor-manceL* a* b*

Imported 1 79.83 -0.07 1.34 Yes

Imported 2 80.97 0.45 3.59 Yes

Imported 3 78.74 0.28 3.40 Yes

Imported 4 79.58 0.29 1.25 Yes

Imported 5 83.02 0.09 4.15 Yes

Imported 6 79.23 0.76 3.18 Yes

Imported 7 79.90 0.49 4.52 Yes

Imported 8 82.53 -0.09 2.86 Yes

Imported 9 81.92 0.03 4.16 Yes

The remarkable feature of all the newsprint

samples is that the surface of the samples looked

clean with very less colored specs in the surface.

Moreover, no variation was observed between the

shade of top side and the bottom side. Both sides

looked and measured similar.

Indian newsprint: Four newsprint samples

were in conformance within the tolerances of

ISO 12647-3. However, out of the four samples

that were in conformance, two of them mea-

sured below L*79.

Table 9: Shade of Indian newsprint

Sample name

Shade (Topside) Confor-manceL* a* b*

Indian 1 74.39 0.06 5.20 No

Indian 2 79.80 -0.30 2.06 Yes

Indian 3 78.81 0.30 2.39 Yes

Indian 4 80.12 0.12 2.43 Yes

Indian 5 78.33 1.10 2.25 Yes

Indian 6 75.88 0.84 3.52 No

Indian 7 73.14 1.75 4.61 No

Indian 8 77.25 1.90 2.94 No

Except for samples Indian 2 and Indian 3, the

other samples had many colored specs on its sur-

face. Because of this, some of the samples loo-

ked even darker than what they measured.

Another important observation is that some of

the newsprint samples had too much difference

in shade between the top side and the bottom

side (Refer Table 10)

Table 10: Difference in shade between top and bottom side

Newsprint

Shade (Topside) Shade (Bottom side) Difference in L*

L* a* b* L* a* b*

Indian 1 74.39 0.06 5.20 75.64 0.20 4.92 1.24

Indian 4 80.12 0.12 2.43 78.57 -0.37 3.02 1.55

Indian 7 73.14 1.75 4.61 70.68 1.61 4.99 2.46

9

3 confoRmance of the tested newspRint to din 19306-4

3.3.3. Tensile strength and Elongation

All the tested imported samples were found in

conformance with DIN 19306-4 specifications for

the tensile strength, while six out of eight tested

Indian samples did not conform to the standard.

Table 11: Tensile strength of Imported newsprint

Newsprint

Tensile strength, kN/m

Elongation %

Web break/100 reels

Imported 1 2.40 1.41 0.5

Imported 2 2.15 1.12 Not recorded

Imported 3 2.35 1.12 1.3

Imported 4 2.36 1.49 0.5

Imported 5 2.05 1.04 2.5

Imported 6 2.06 1.12 1

Imported 7 2.34 1.21 1.5

Imported 8 2.44 1.48 2

Imported 9 2.12 1.43 0.5

Table 12: Tensile strength of Indian newsprint

Sample name

Tensile strength, kN/m

Elongation %

Web break/100 reels

Indian 1 1.56 1.3 10

Indian 2 2.45 1.63 1.5

Indian 3 3.04 1.72 1

Indian 4 1.65 1.43 5

Indian 5 1.79 1.41 Not recorded

Indian 6 1.96 1.43 15

Indian 7 1.66 1.26 25

Indian 8 1.57 1.35 25

It should be noted that several researches in the

past did not show a direct correlation between

the laboratory test results of mechanical proper-

ties and the actual performance of newsprint in

production. However, if we compare between the

tensile strength measured and the number of web

breaks per 100 reels, as reported in the user feed-

back questionnaire, we can see that the number

of web breaks in imported newsprint is far lesser

than the Indian newsprint. Web breaks can hap-

pen due to several reasons that are not related

to the tensile strength. In fact, the major reasons

cited for high web break in samples, Indian 1, 6,

7 and 8 are torn paper, pin holes and poor reel

joints. However, the relation between low tensile

strength and high web break is hard to ignore.

3.3.4. OpacityOpacity of all the samples, except two Imported

and one Indian samples, were in conformance

with DIN 19306-4. The imported newsprint, “Im-

ported 3“ was fractionally short of conformance

and “Imported 5” was nearly close to the target

with opacity of 92%, while the opacity of the In-

dian newsprint, Indian 2 was very low at 81.2%

Table 13: Opacity of Imported newsprint

Newsprint Opacity %Imported 1 93.1

Imported 2 92.7

Imported 3 92.4

Imported 4 93.8

Imported 5 91.9

Imported 6 93.5

Imported 7 93.7

Imported 8 94.5

Imported 9 92.7

Table 14: Opacity of Indian newsprint

Newsprint Opacity %Indian 1 96.3

Indian 2 81.2

Indian 3 93.1

Indian 4 92.4

Indian 5 94.9

Indian 6 95.8

Indian 7 96.1

Indian 8 92.4

10


3.3.5. Tearing strengthThe tearing strength of all the tested samples

were above the minimum requirements and no

problems noted both in Indian and Imported va-

rieties.

Table 15: Tearing strength of Imported newsprint

Newsprint Tearing strength (CD mN)Imported 1 380

Imported 2 290

Imported 3 350

Imported 4 370

Imported 5 280

Imported 6 270

Imported 7 310

Imported 8 320

Imported 9 300

Table 16: Tearing strength of Indian newsprint

Newsprint Tearing strength (CD mN)Indian 1 350

Indian 2 330

Indian 3 350

Indian 4 300

Indian 5 340

Indian 6 340

Indian 7 300

Indian 8 300

3.3.6. RoughnessFor the research, the roughness of the newsprint

samples was also tested. But the instrument that

we used can only measure roughness in terms

of ml/min (Bendtsen) and not as microns. So

we could not use it to find the conformance of

roughness (PPS) of newsprint to DIN 19306-4.

However, there is a direct relationship between

ml/min and microns. Rougher the substrate, hig-

her will be the depth and height of valleys and

peaks in the surface of the newsprint and higher

the volume of air that will escape in the instru-

ment.

Table 17: Roughness of Imported newsprint

Sample name Roughness ml/minImported 1 160

Imported 2 125

Imported 3 125

Imported 4 145

Imported 5 115

Imported 6 130

Imported 7 145

Imported 8 135

Imported 9 135

Table 18: Roughness of Indian newsprint

Sample name Roughness ml/minIndian 1 180

Indian 2 125

Indian 3 100

Indian 4 220

Indian 5 280

Indian 6 450

Indian 7 380

Indian 8 325

Indian newsprint, apart from Indian 2 and 3,

were rougher compared to Imported newsprint.

Roughness of newsprint had a direct impact on

the printability of newsprint, they are discussed

in the next section.

11

4 pRintability of newspRint

4. Printability of NewsprintThe printability properties of newsprint de-

pend mainly on the structural characteristics of

newsprint. For the research, ink consumption,

set-off and print-through and pick resistance of

the newsprint were measured.

4.1 Ink consumptionThe ink consumption is calculated as the amount

of ink required to produce a standard Solid Ink

Density. In this case, an ISO 2846-2 compliant

black ink is used for testing in the IGT Printability

tester. Solid Ink Density achieved was 1.10.

Table 19: Ink consumption of Imported newsprint

Sample name Ink consumption g/m2

Imported 1 1.41

Imported 2 1.37

Imported 3 1.39

Imported 4 1.42

Imported 5 1.28

Imported 6 1.44

Imported 7 1.40

Imported 8 1.32

Imported 9 1.25

Table 20: Ink consumption of Indian newsprint

Sample name Ink consumption g/m²Indian 1 1.50

Indian 2 1.34

Indian 3 1.44

Indian 4 1.46

Indian 5 1.54

Indian 6 1.52

Indian 7 1.51

Indian 8 1.44

Though it is difficult to see a direct relationship

between roughness and ink consumption case-

to-case, it is interesting to note that the newsprint

that needed 1.50 g/m2 or above are the samples

that were noted, in the roughness section, as

rougher compared to other newsprint. and they

are Indian newsprint samples.

Fig 1: Roughness Vs Ink consumption plot

4.2 Set-off and Print-throughSet-off and Print-through tests were carried out

in the IGT printability tester. The samples were

printed at SID 1.10 and then rolled over a plain

sheet of same newsprint at a specific pressure

after 3 seconds. Set-off density is then measured

in the paper that’s been rolled over. For print-

through, the samples were printed with black ink

with SID 1.10 and the print-through density is

measured at the back side of the paper.

Generally, set-off and print-through are inversely

proportional. Higher the set-off, lower the print-

through and vice versa.

Table 21: Set-off and print through of Im-ported newsprint

Sample name

Set-off density (After 3 seconds)

Print-through at 1.10 SID

Imported 1 0.07 0.03









Roughness Vs Ink consumption

1.20

1.30

1.40

1.50

1.60

0 100 200 300 400 500Roughness

Ink c

on

sum

pti

on

Roughness Vs Ink consumption

1.20

1.30

1.40

1.50

1.60

0 100 200 300 400 500Roughness

Ink c

on

sum

pti

on

12

4pRintability of newspRint

Table 22: Set-off and Print through of Indian newsprint

Newsprint Set-off density (After 3 seconds)

Print-through at 1.10 SID

Indian 1 0.07 0.03

Indian 2 0.08 0.04

Indian 3 0.09 0.03

Indian 4 0.05 0.05

Indian 5 0.03 0.05

Indian 6 0.05 0.03

Indian 7 0.06 0.04

Indian 8 0.06 0.04

A simple comparison between the two tables

shows that the Indian samples produced lesser

set-off and higher print-through compared to the

Imported samples, which showed higher set-off

and lesser print through Newsprint that absorbs

ink faster has less ink on the surface to set-off.

The absorbed ink, however, tends to show in the

other side as print through. On the other hand,

newsprint that does not absorb ink faster, sets

off more and shows lesser print through.

There is no standard that sets any limit for these

two parameters. Therefore, a comparative model

should be adopted and the paper that produce

least set-off and print-through can be said as the

best paper that can produce cleaner print.

For example, in this case, Sample, “Imported 8”

produced low set-off as well as print-through. It

is the best paper of the lot in these two parame-

ters.

While analysing the user experience, 6 out of 8

Indian newsprint were reported for print through

and only 2 out of 8 newsprint were reported for

set-off, which is in-line with the laboratory fin-

dings.

Fig 2: Set-off and Print Through in Indian newsprint samples

In the Imported newsprint category, only one

newsprint was reported for Print through and

three newsprint were reported for set-off.

4.3. Pick testPick test is used to get an indication of the sur-

face strength of a paper and thereby gauge the

fluff accumulation possibility in the production.

As any other printability parameter, there is no

standard for this. In a printability tester, a medium

viscosity oil is printed in the paper at an increasing

speed, i.e. the printing disc (Aluminium disc) starts

at 0 m/s and steadily accelerates to the set speed.

The printed paper is then evaluated under a light

source. The spot where the de-lamination of the

top surface of the paper starts is marked and the

distance between the start point and the de-lami-

nation point is measured. From the measurement,

it is possible to calculate the speed of the disc at

that point and that is the pick velocity.

Indian newsprint Samples reported for Print through

Indian newsprint Samples reported for Set-off

13

4 pRintability of newspRint

Table 23: Pick velocity of imported newsprint

Sample name Pick Velocity (m/s)Imported 1 0.47

Imported 2 0.58

Imported 3 0.30

Imported 4 0.65

Imported 5 0.68

Imported 6 0.37

Imported 7 0.41

Imported 8 0.73

Imported 9 0.86

Table 24: Pick velocity of Indian newsprint

Sample name Pick Velocity (m/s)

Indian 1 0.36

Indian 2 1.06

Indian 3 0.37

Indian 4 0.52

Indian 5 0.99

Indian 6 0.37

Indian 7 0.28

Indian 8 0.68

Since there is no standard, the average pick velo-

city, 0.57 m/s, is taken as the reference and the

samples were compared with it. We could see

that many of the imported and Indian newsprint

had low pick velocity.

When we tried to compare the user feedback with

the test results, the user feedback did not corre-

late with the test results. Some of the newsprint

with higher pick velocity were also reported for

linting. It should be noted that the samples were

collected from different publishers and the pres-

ses in which these newsprint run are also diffe-

rent. The benchmark figure for the target pick

velocity depends on the presses and press con-

ditions in which the newsprint is used. However,

out of the 17 newsprint varieties that were te-

sted, 11 varieties were reported for picking and it

is an indication that many of the newsprint used

by Indian publishers fall short of expectations of

the printers in the pick resistance.‘

Fig 2: 65% of the tested newsprint varieties

were reported for linting

It can be recommended that each printing cen-

tre must test the newsprint that they use and

establish a specification for pick resistance and

compare the incoming newsprint with the esta-

blished specification.

Samples not reported for linting

Samples reported for linting

Samples not reported for linting

Samples reported for linting

14

5conclusion

5. ConclusionThe test results of Indian and imported newsprint

showed several areas that needs improvement,

especially in Indian newsprint.

The user feedback of all the imported newsprint

are good and so are the test results. One area for

improvement is linting. The surface strength of

most of the newsprint does not match the ex-

pectations of the printers. Another area is shade.

Five out of 9 varieties had L* value below L*80

and could be improved.

On the other hand, Indian newsprint need im-

provement in several areas. Grammage control

needs immediate attention. It causes huge loss

to the publishers even before the newsprint re-

ach the printing site. Shade of the newsprint,

variation in shade on topside and bottom side,

tensile strength and roughness are also of con-

cern. For several Indian newsprint, the publishers

complained about torn papers, pin holes and

poor reel joints as main reasons for web breaks.

These points have to be addressed too.

In this scenario, the publishers can work closely

with the newsprint manufacturers and provide

constructive feedback for the improvement of

the quality of newsprint.

15

6 appendices

6. Appendices

6.1 Abbreviation list

ΔE*ab Delta Eab 1971

SID Solid ink density

GSM Grams per square metre

g/m2 Grams per square metre

m/s Metre/second

ml/min Milli litre per minute

ISO International Organisation for

Standardisation

DIN German Institute for Standardisa

tion

6.2 References

[DIN 19306-4] Technical delivery specifications

for newsprint

[ISO 2846-2] ISO 2846-2:2007 Graphic tech-

nology - Colour and transparency of printing

ink sets for four-colour printing - Part 2: Cold-

set offset lithographic printing.


nology - Laboratory preparation of test prints

- Part 1: Paste inks.


nology - Process control for the production of

half-tone colour separations, proofs and pro-

duction prints - Part 3: Coldset offset lithogra-

phy on newsprint.

[SRE 1.16] IFRA special report, Runnability

and printability of newsprint.

6.3 Acknowledgement

ABP Pvt. Ltd., for offering us to use their newsprint

testing facility for the research and providing us

with several newsprint samples.

Kasturi & Sons Pvt. Ltd., Amar Ujala Publications,

Express Publicatons (Madurai) for providing

newsprint samples.

16

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