Hickies are small raised bumps on the surface of paper that are caused by the drying process of printing. They are most commonly found on the edges of sheets where the ink has not completely dried before the sheet was cut.
Hickies can also be caused by environmental factors such as high humidity or paper that is too thin.
While hickies do not affect the print quality of a sheet, they can be unsightly and can cause the paper to feel rough.
There are a few ways to prevent hickies from forming, such as:
– Using a higher quality paper that is thicker and less likely to buckle when exposed to high humidity.
– Drying the ink completely before cutting the sheets.
– Cutting the sheets with a sharp blade to avoid tearing the paper.
If hickies do form, they can often be removed by lightly sanding the paper or by using a hickey remover.
A hickey, also known as a screen-printing imperfection, is a small dot or imperfection that appears in the printed image. Although hickeys are usually considered undesirable, they can occasionally be used to add character or charm to a print. In screen printing, hickeys occur when ink or debris gets caught in the mesh screen, causing an imperfection in the printed image.
Hickeys can occur for a variety of reasons, including incorrect screen tension, improper screen cleaning, or using a screen that is too fine for the ink being printed. In most cases, hickeys can be avoided by ensuring that the screen is properly tensioned and cleaned before printing. However, hickeys can also be caused by environmental factors, such as humidity, that are beyond the control of the printer.
While hickeys are generally considered to be imperfections, some screen printers intentionally create hickeys in their prints to add character or charm. In some cases, hickeys can also be used to create a deliberate distressed look. Whether intentional or not, hickeys can add an element of uniqueness to a screen print.