Answered by the experts at EU Services

Question:
What can I do to prevent my print jobs from cracking on the fold?

Answer:
Cracking along the fold line is typically caused by an issue with paper stock, the design having heavy ink coverage right on the fold or a combination of both. Depending on how the piece is designed, it may not always be possible to completely prevent cracking but here are some suggestions to minimize it.

• Consider using a lighter weight paper. The heavier the stock, the greater the possibility of cracking along the fold line.
• Ask that your printer run the job so the fold runs with the grain of the paper (in the same direction) AND score the job. Specify these requests at the time you have the job estimated because depending on the size of the piece, it may be slightly more expensive to run folds with the grain and/or score but you will get much better performance on the fold.
• Channel scoring is another option to alleviate cracking. A channel score is applied on a die cutting machine and it will provide an exceptional score for a very clean fold.
• As a preventative measure, you may also ask your designer to keep heavy ink coverage away from folds. This will help minimize the effects of cracking should they occur since cracks are much less noticeable where there is light ink coverage.
• When in doubt, discuss the specific design and job specs with your print supplier. They should be able to provide excellent guidance on how to minimize or completely prevent the fold from cracking.