These papers are perfectly suited to litho printing. For half tone printing it is not usual to exceed 150 lpi but with careful ink control rulings of 200lpi can be used. When four colour printing there may be some benefit in using Under Colour Removal techniques and/or the use of 'Stochastic' (FM) screening technologies.

Use conventional positive drying, quick setting, 'hard dry' inks, with or without I.R. drying assistance. Avoid the use of press stable / stay fresh ink systems. UV cured inks can be used.

Keaykolour is not prone for setting off however as with all boards and particularly the embossed heavyweights will require some care. As the delivery stack grows quickly when printing boards, select a slow press speed and do not allow the delivery stack to become too large, as the prints at the bottom of the stack will still be wet and therefore less resistance to marking by comparison to printing paper weights. It may be helpful to turn off the delivery sheet joggers and use a course 'Anti-set off' spray powder around 35 microns (a vanishing grade can be used) particularly for embossed grades. Also the sheet gripper release should be adjusted so the board lands gently in the delivery with the minimum of movement. It is recommended to protect the paper from environmental changes in humidity and temperature at all times by the use of pallet covers or stretch wrap.

Be certain the printing inks are suitable for UV varnishing and ensure they are thoroughly dry before sealer and varnish application. A gloss varnish is not easily achieved. Best gloss results are achieved by printing UV Silk Screen Matt varnish and then overprinting with gloss UV varnish. Other machine varnish applications are not advisable as a visual effect will not be achieved. Consider printing a clear hot foil as an alternative. Sealers can be used to give minimal protection to printed material to help avoid marking when further processing is required. Be certain the printing inks are suitable for sealer application. Best results are obtained when applying the sealer after the inks are thoroughly dry.

Embossings may be done with relative ease in the Recycled and Original grades. It is recommended to have the corners of the die rounded off to help prevent creases forming from them. To emboss an image in an already embossed sheet it may be necessary to plate sink the original embossing before stamping the new one. This is very true for the strong Keaykolour textures like Cedar or Twill.

Rekreate will easily take embossings, but due to Rekreate's unique furnish it may have reduced strength compared to the equivalent product made from virgin fibre.

Die cutting can be performed without difficulty.

Laser cutting can be performed easily however as with any paper there will be some scorching evident around the cut area.

Keaykolour Recycled and Antique accepts hot foil blocking easily. The embossed versions of Keaykolour also accept hot foil blocking but due to the uneven embossed texture some image detail will be compromised. If a fine image is to be blocked on to a Keaykolour embossed product it is recommended to plate sink the area first.

Rekreate's unique composition may require an excess of pressure to ensure good foil adhesion, which will compromise fine detail of the image. A trial is therefore recommended to ensure the results are acceptable with a suitable foil.

The board weights (160gsm / 200micron and above) will require pre-creasing by a channel and matrix system before folding to help avoid cracks appearing at the fold. Most of the textures can be creased and folded in this way without problems. However the Cedar texture may fracture at the fold slightly and depending upon the crease preparation the fold may wish to follow the embossed texture.

Rekreate requires some extra care to fold, however using a 0.8x2.5 self locating matrix with a 3pt creasing rule can be used as a guide, but with all creasing the rule height needs to be accommodate the paper thickness.

Die stamping may be performed with relative ease on the Recycled, ReKreate and Original grades. The embossed versions of Keaykolour also accept die stamping but due to the uneven embossed texture some image detail will be compromised. If a fine image is to be blocked on to a Keaykolour embossed product it is recommended to plate sink the area first.

Only smooth/wove finishes can be film laminated. Although due to the rough open texture some 'silvering' will be evident after lamination. To help reduce 'silvering' increase the laminating pressure and apply excess adhesive if possible. The increased amount of adhesive will probably extend the time required to acheive a good bond with the lamination.

Keaykolour has an open surface which can reduce the printed ink tack. As such it may be difficult to achieved good thermographic prints depending upon the image and the amount of ink applied. The Keaykolour embossed grades may also perform unsatisfactorily depending upon the texture being printed. A trial is recommended.

Keaykolour can be printed by the screen printing process. It is particularly useful when wanting to print an image lighter than the paper colour. e.g. Printing white ink on black paper. Paper and board inks can be used across the ranges of Keaykolour but when ink opacity is necessary vinyl inks give good results. For accurate ink placement the screen requires intimate contact with the substrate. Consequently some image detail will be compromised when silk screen printing on to the Keaykolour embossed papers.