PAPER & SUBSTRATES

Cotton Rag Paper

Paper made from cotton fibre: soft, strong, acid-free, and the classic letterpress stock.

3Printing stage Rank 7 of 28

Line drawing

Specification
Composition	100 per cent cotton linter
Weight range	110–600 gsm
Surface	Uncoated, soft, slight tooth
pH	7.0–8.5, alkaline reserve
Grain	Usually long grain
Deckle	Often one or two natural deckle edges
Colour	Natural white, cream, or dyed
Sizing	Internal, minimal surface size

Working parameters
Weight	110–600 gsm
Caliper	0.14 mm at 110 gsm, 0.72 mm at 600 gsm
Grain	Long grain as standard
pH	7.0–8.5
Processes	Letterpress, foil stamping, debossing, edge gilding
Compatible materials	All letterpress inks, PVA, starch paste
Minimum type size	About 9 pt before the counters start to fill
Archival	Yes, if the ink and adhesive are also archival

There is a simulator for this. Paper Grain Visualizer runs the same relationships in 3D, so you can change a number and watch what it does to the result.

Open Paper Grain Visualizer

Overview

Cotton rag is made from cotton linters rather than wood pulp, which means the fibres are long and the sheet is both strong and soft. It takes a deep impression cleanly, which is why it is the default for anything where the impression is meant to be seen. It is also naturally acid-free, so it does not yellow.

The trade-off is surface. Cotton rag is uncoated and slightly textured, so fine detail and small type fill in sooner than they would on a coated sheet. Below about 9 pt it starts to lose the counters.

3Printing: Ink, packing and impression on the press.

Safety

Before you use itCotton rag dust from tearing or deckling is a respiratory irritant. Tear over a bin and avoid dry sanding.

Before you use itDamp cotton paper grows mould quickly. Store flat, below 60 per cent relative humidity.

Using it well

Let the paper come to room temperature before printing. Cold paper from a store room takes ink unevenly and the first ten sheets of a run will look different.
Condition the sheet by interleaving with blotting paper and leaving it under a board overnight. Cotton rag prints best at about 50 per cent relative humidity.
Print on the felt side for a deeper impression, the wire side for a smoother result. Most cotton papers are identical both sides, but check by feel.

What it works with

Papers and substrates

Not applicable

Type and fonts

Any type 9 pt and above
Photopolymer plates for finer detail

Processes

Letterpress
Foil stamping
Debossing
Edge gilding
Marbling

Note. Specifications are conventional working ranges for this class of tool, not a measurement of any particular machine. Follow the instructions that came with your own equipment, and treat every figure here as a starting point to check rather than a limit to trust. Nothing on this page is for sale and no manufacturer had any input into it.

PaperPrint