In the printing world, picking refers to a situation in which a paper’s surface is ruptured or deformed by the force exerted by tacky ink while the paper is being printed. This force often causes the paper layers to tear away from each other, producing blister-like bosses or removing the paper coating entirely.
A sticky ink may attach to the floating paper fibers during the printing process. When the ink is applied to the paper, the force can overcome the adhesion between the ink layers and separate them. All this results in obvious imperfections, such as splits or tears in the paper.
In addition, picking may also show up as bumps resembling blisters on the paper. It’s only when sticky ink causes localized bubbling, resulting in raised surfaces, that disturbs the smoothness of the paper.
In addition, the picking process may require the removal of certain parts of the paper’s covering layer. Coatings are often used to improve such qualities as ink absorbency and smoothness. But when sticky ink is used, it quickly gets caught in parts of the coating, leaving sections of the paper bare or with rough patches.
In the printing world, picking is an unavoidable but undesirable byproduct that harms print quality and appearance. Irregularities develop, defects appear, and the durability of the printed matter is shortened. Picking occurs more often on papers with coarser surfaces or with insufficient internal bonding strength.
In the printing industry, picking refers to the breaking or deformation of the surface of a paper from the force of a sticky ink. The result is layer separation, blistering, or coating removal. Printers can make high-quality, durable, and beautiful prints if they understand the reasons for picking them.