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Written by Andy
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Tuesday, 01 July 2008 15:33 |
 I remember back when carbon paper was in use. You would take out two sheets of paper then slip the sheet of carbon paper in-between. You could get a few uses per sheet by flipping it around then you would have to throw it out. I haven't seen carbon sheets in quite a while. Then carbonless paper became the norm. It seemed magical on how it worked.
The History
Carbon Copy Paper (CCP) was introduced in 1954 by the National Cash Register Company as no-carbon-required (NCR) paper an alternative to carbon paper, used to make a copy of an original, handwritten document without the use of any electronics. NCR was a patented name, but many of the patents have expired, and several companies now have licenses.
How it Works
Carbonless copy paper works in a fairly simple way. It consists of sheets of paper that are coated on the bottom and/or the top with an emulsion of a colorless dye in a solvent. The emulsion is held in microscopic capsules (microcapsules) that are ruptured by firm pressure from a writing instrument. The released dye reacts with a re-agent on the surface of the paper and changes the dye to a colored product (generally violet, blue, or black).
After the sheets are printed the stack is placed in a padding table. The table has a clamp to secure the stack. Then a liquid padding compound is applied to the the edge that needs to be bound. The padding compound reacts with the paper in the case of 2 part carbonless, the top sheet will adhere to the bottom sheet but not to the other sheets. After it dries it is fanned and wha-la you have a stack of 2 part carbonless forms where the top and bottom sheets are attached.
Tips
Did you know that carbonless paper ages? If you’ve ever used a carbonless form that doesn’t print very dark on the second or third sheets, the problem is most likely caused by old paper that contains dried-out micro ink capsules.
When designing forms give yourself 1/2" of white space at the top of any carbonless form. Occasionally, the padding compound that is used will bleed down from the padding edge and cause the top 1/8" of the paper to wrinkle slightly. White space makes it very hard to notice the wrinkling.
Just because carbonless forms are practical doesn’t mean they have to be boring. Consider using two colors of ink, that can make a dramatic improvement in the look of your form. Also adding bold graphics can make the form snap.
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