Carbonless Guide

is a high quality paper featuring a state-of-the-art microcapsule coating which permits copies to be made without using carbon paper.

Ideal for purchase orders, invoices and other documents requiring the transfer of information from a top sheet to multiple sheets beneath.

carbonless paper is compatible with letterpress, dry and wet offset and flexographic printing. It is also suitable for inkjet printing on most inkjet printers and has been used successfully on some laser printers. However, it is recommended that users conduct their own tests to establish suitability and optimum settings on target printers.

offers production advantages to printers:

• Sharp print quality
• Trouble free runnability
• Less dusting on longer production runs
• Less abrasion and wear on cutting knives
• Less sensitive to moisture than clay

Advantages of using carbonless paper:

• Time and cost saving – forms with personalised data (eg. customer name, number and contact details etc) can be printed on demand and completed as required. Save on the costs of warehousing large quantities of pre-printed forms and reduce the risk of being left with obsolete or out-of-date forms.
• Customer satisfaction – less administrative time required filling in forms by the user.
• Organisational efficiency – coloured paper copies for easy filing and distribution.
• Security – when signed, carbonless papers have a value of proof.
• User friendly: universal use – in and outside the office, for both manual and machine imaging, with flexibility to add information at a later stage.

Copies are made by the reaction of two separate coatings under pressure (from a pen, impact printer, typewriter, etc). One coating, CB (or coated back) consists of pressure sensitive microcapsules. Under pressure, these capsules rupture, releasing a special fluid that triggers a colour reaction on the coated underlying sheet CF (or coated front). The CF coating provides a highly absorbent layer which creates a sharp, intense copy image.

There are 3 grades of carbonless paper:

CB
The original or top sheet of a multi-part form with a pressure sensitive, ink-releasing microcapsule layer on its underside.

CFB
The pressure sensitive intermediate sheet(s) of a multi-part form which both receives (ink-absorbing) and transfers (ink-releasing) an image. This is the most sensitive sheet of a multi-part set.

CF
The bottom copy of a multi-part form which receives an image. Not pressure sensitive and can be handled as normal paper.

Key:

For the completion of self separating cut sets, such as purchase orders, invoices and transportation documents, always use Fanapart Adhesive which is a solvent-free glue specially designed for the range of papers.

The adhesive works on the principle of greater absorption between two coated surfaces. Where there are no coatings, such as between the underside of the CF and the upper side of the CB sheet, separation will occur to give individual sets.

Instructions for use:

The grain direction of the sheets must be consistent within a form set. As a rule, the grain direction should be parallel to the glued edge.

Preferably guillotine a skim-trim from the edge to be glued and have a margin of at least 2mm free of printing ink.

Align the stack carefully at the edge to be glued especially where the top or bottom sheets are heavyweight qualities.

The stack height should not exceed 30cm.

A heavy weight to press the stack down is not necessary. In order to prevent gaps between the sheets, place a wooden board across the full width of the edge of the stack with a weight on top of it. Use a maximum 2kg weight for a 30cm stack. (The purpose of the weight is to avoid the upper sets moving during gluing and not to compress the stack).

Shake adhesive bottle well before use.

Apply as soon as possible after trimming.

Never return unused adhesive back into the adhesive bottle.

Apply adhesive using a flat, soft, clean brush of 50-60mm width. Work from the middle of the stack outwards using horizontal strokes.

Saturate the glued edge by applying several wet on wet coats in one single operation.

NB: Thick layers of adhesive do not impair the separation of the stacks and have a positive effect on the strength of the glued connection.

Allow to dry at room temperature for approx 30 minutes before separating the sets into small stacks by fanning them out.

NB: For better separation, remove the weight after 15 minutes drying time.

The adhesive will be completely dry after 60 minutes.

Top Tips:

• If stored at room temperature (20-25°C), adhesive can be used for up to two years. However, it is recommended to use within one year.
• Before unwrapping the paper and commencing printing, always acclimatise the paper to the conditions of the printing room/area.
• Adhesive that has been exposed to frost will no longer work.
• Before gluing a large number of sets, carry out a test gluing.
• If using higher grammages of paper to make sets, apply a second coat of adhesive approx 1 minute after the first coat.
• Hot air drying affects the gluing; wait 10 minutes before switching on.
• Any warping of the stacks at the glued edge will not be permanent and will disappear after a short time.
• After use, always clean the brush with water.
• When using guillotine-type cutters, the following must be observed:
  • Keep the press-bar pressure as low as possible.
  • Slipping of the stack and discoloration can be avoided by attaching a section of expanded rubber to the press bar.
  • Distribute the stacks evenly over the width of the cutter, a height of the stacks of 8-12 cm is recommended.
  • Remove protection sheets before cutting the reams.
  • Use a blade angle of 19° to 21°.

carbonless paper is versatile and easy to customise. For use with letterpress, offset and flexographic printers. Although not specifically designed for use on laser printers, it has been successfully used, achieving good results. It is also suitable for inkjet printers.

offers flexibility to save on costs by creating your own multi-part forms in-house. Ideal for producing high quality, short run business forms on-demand. Advantages include:

• Economic short run printing jobs
• Fast turnaround for differentiated multipart forms
• Variable information printing such as barcodes, numbering or personalised forms

Suitable for a wide range of applications:

• Invoices, Orders, Expenses forms
• Delivery notes
• Registration forms
• Legal documents
• Pads

• Market Research questionnaires
• Finance forms
• Agreements and contracts
• Medical forms
• Internal forms

• Accident reports
• Quotes
• Installation orders
• Timesheets
• Tracking forms

Whether you require straight or reverse pre-collated sets will depend on your type of printer; how you load the paper tray and how the printer outputs printed sheets. Use the following guide to help you select the correct collation of forms for your printer.

We would recommend that if you are in any doubt, you should conduct testing on your printer to determine which product is right for you.

STRAIGHT or REVERSE PRE-COLLATED sets
How to choose the right one for your printer

How do you load paper into the paper tray?

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Does your printer pull from the top of bottom of the stack?

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How does your printer present printed sheets?

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Straight or Reverse pre-collated sets?

Face Up

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Top

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Face Down

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STRAIGHT

Face Up

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Top

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Face Up

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REVERSE

Face Up

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Bottom

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Face Down

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REVERSE

Face Up

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Bottom

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Face Up

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STRAIGHT

Face Down

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Top

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Face Down

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REVERSE

Face Down

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Top

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Face Up

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STRAIGHT

Face Down

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Bottom

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Face Down

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STRAIGHT

Face Down

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Bottom

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Face Up

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REVERSE

pre-collated sets are only available as REVERSE sets. If your printer requires STRAIGHT collated, click here for our Xerox range of pre-collated straight sets.

• Is environmentally friendly?
  Yes - Only high-grade ECF bleached pulp from FSC and/or PEFC certified suppliers is used to make reacto carbonless paper. The manufacturing process is centred on minimising waste and recycling or utilising residual materials in an eco-friendly manner.  All raw materials are selected according to their environmental sustainability ie. how well they biodegrade and can be recycled, in addition to health and safety aspects.
  Reacto packaging is 100% recyclable.

• What printers can be used on?
  Reacto can be printed using any of the usual methods for printing forms ie. letterpress, dry and wet offset and flexographic printing. It is not specifically designed for use on laser printers but has been successfully used, achieving good results. It is recommended, however, that users should perform their own tests first to establish suitability and check dimensional stability and the toner’s adhesion on the front of the CB sheet.
  reacto can also be used on inkjet printers. However if the quality of the printed copy must meet demanding requirements, it is advisable to conduct testing beforehand to confirm suitability.
  Click here to order your free sample.

• What type of ink should be used to print on ?
  High quality, low tack printing inks should be used, preferably unthinned. However, when printing on the reverse side eg. Terms and Conditons, use thinly applied light-coloured inks (not glossy) to prevent show through.
  Printing solid block imagery on the reverse side of the top and middle sheets should be restricted to areas in which no legible copy image is required, as toner can create a barrier preventing or impairing the image transferral. Halftone printing techniques impair the quality of copies if the dot density exceeds 25%.

• Is suitable for perforation?
  Yes - reacto carbonless paper is suitable for longitudinal, transverse and remaliner perforation.

• What is the copy life of carbonless paper?
  Reacto is officially tested and approved to meet the legal requirements laid down for the storage of business records. Tests have shown that archiving times of more than 25 years are achieved using typical filing or folder systems.
  The copying properties of reacto remain virtually unchanged for up to three years. For optimum results however, reacto forms should be used within five years.
  To optimise length of storage, reacto forms should not be exposed to chemicals, vapours, fumes or bright light. Plasticisers contained in plastic films and sheets can impair copies therefore polyethylene products are recommended.

• What is desensitising ink used for?
  For some applications such as data-mailers, you may not wish the image copy to be seen on specific parts of the form. There are two main ways to achieve this, either blocking out using a scramble pattern, or by printing desensitising ink onto the area in question.
  Desensitising Ink is specially developed to prevent the chemical reaction between reacto CB and CF coatings rather than acting as a physical barrier. The application is frequently used in medical and finance applications where confidentiality is sought, so certain information is only available to selected parties.
  Reacto desensitising ink is specially formulated to work with reacto CF sheets.

Solution Finding - Finishing

Sets stick together?

Poor separation – blocking

Ensure correct collation.
Use Fanapart Adhesive.
Reduce weight applied on stack during drying.
Reduce quantity of glue on second coat.
Ensure no more than 30 seconds between coats of glue.

Sets fall apart?

Poor bonding

Use maximum 2kg weight for 30cm stack.
Apply more glue with first coat.
Allow longer natural drying time.
Clean guillotine knife.

No copy?

Sheets upside down
Wrong grade used

Check before printing and collating. Check collating sequence.

Poor copy intensity?

Damage to CB

Compare with unprinted paper.
Reduce impression pressure to minimum.
Use compressible blanket.

Discoloration?
– Lines

Damage to CB

Adjust pressure of lay on wheels or move – Lines to edges.

Discoloration?
– Overall

Damage to CB

Reduce blanket to impression cylinder pressure.

Discoloration?
– Guillotine clamp marks

Damage to CB

Check for gutter/channel mark. Check knife angle. Use softer clamp material.

See how can work for your application and try before you buy. Click here to fill out our on screen form and tell us which items you are interested in. Free samples are sent out in A4 size and despatched via first class post.