HP LaserJet Printers - Print Media Guide

moisture in a low humidity environment. Small increases in moisture content greatly reduce resistivity while small decreases
in moisture content greatly increase resistivity.
Moisture content can also aect other paper properties such as curl, stiness, and dimensional size. Higher moisture
content can make paper prone to curl and wrinkling during printing, make a sheet limp, and increase the dimensions of a cut
sheet. Paper performance can change signicantly with seasonal or weather changes, which aect the humidity in the
printing environment.
packaging
Packaging is an important consideration when using paper in an HP LaserJet printer, because adequate packaging maintains
the correct level of moisture and protects paper from damage during transport and storage.
perforations and micro-perforations
A hole or series of holes punched through the paper to aid in the separation of one piece of paper from another.
pH
Refers to the acidity/alkalinity of paper as determined by the TAPPI (Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry)
cold-extraction method.
photocopy paper
See copier paper.
post-consumer waste
Manufactured material that the customer has used. Post-consumer waste can be oce paper, mail, used boxes, old
newspapers, or magazines.
pre-consumer waste
Material that never reaches the customer after it has been manufactured. Pre-consumer waste can be unused paper stock,
bindery trimmings, envelope cuttings, business forms, or unsold books or magazines.
print media
Paper, envelopes, cardstock, overhead transparencies, and labels that are used with printers. Print media used in HP
LaserJet printers must meet the guidelines and specications listed in this guide.
ream
A ream is a quantity of 500 sheets of paper. Paper is often packaged and sold in reams.
simplex
Printing on one side of a sheet of paper.
smoothness
Surface smoothness is determined by measuring the rate of air ow between the sheet surface and a at reference surface.
Smoothness usually is expressed in Sheeld or Bekk units.
stiness
How resistant print media is to bending or exing. A minimum stiness is required in order for paper to separate from the
rollers inside of the printer. Most long-grain papers that are heavier than 60 g/m
2
will have adequate stiness to transport
through the printer. Generally, stiness increases with paper weight.
surface roughness
Surface roughness of papers can aect print quality, feeding, and fusing (toner adhesion). If paper is very smooth,
background particles are more easily seen, and sheets tend to stick together and create multiple-sheet feeds. Very rough
papers can degrade transfer of toner onto the page, causing jagged edges or toner scatter. Fusing (toner adhesion) can also
be drastically reduced on very rough papers. Roughness is usually measured using an air leak method such as the Sheeld
method. Typical Sheeld values for dierent paper surfaces are in the following approximate ranges:
46 Glossary ENWW