A. Initial Project Planning
1. Inks, coatings, varnishes, adhesives and laminations must be specifically fashioned for YUPO® and for the intended end use application. Please contact your suppliers for their specific recommendations, or if you would prefer, we would be happy to refer you to proven suppliers.
• Inks used on menus may require additional protection against caustic cleaning chemicals; outdoor posters may require lightfast inks.
• Adhesives used for converting YUPO into either book covers for perfect bound books or pocket folders may need to be slightly modified.
• Most metallic inks should be avoided because they contain too much solvent. The solvent would penetrate into YUPO and cause permanent distortions.
2. If a piece will be printed using YUPO and other substrates, use YUPO formulated inks for the entire job.
3. Consider the design, relative to grain direction for binding and finishing operations, when laying out the piece.
4. Allow YUPO to acclimate to pressroom conditions for at least 24 hours before unwrapping, and even longer during winter months.
5. Plan to wind the lifts at least once after the ink has set.
6. Lift height should not exceed 4 inches; set aside enough delivery boards.
7. Plan to cut down YUPO with sharp blades, dies and drill bits.
8. Avoid right angles or an inside corner radius' less than 1/16 inch when die-cutting.

B. When You Are Estimating a Job…
1. The inks, coatings, and adhesives required for YUPO may cost slightly more than those used with other substrates.
2. Budget time for washing blankets every 1,000~2,000 sheets to remove paper dust.
3. Plan to back up all two-sided printing jobs within 24 –48 hours.
4. Budget time for winding the sheets after printing.
5. Recommended press speed should not exceed 7,000 impressions/hour.
6. YUPO should not be used in laser printers or photocopiers due to intense exposure to heat.

C. Pre-Press Recommendation
1. Compensate films for 8 – 10% more dot gain than on coated papers.
2. When unpacking, discard the top and bottom sheet next to protective chipboard from each package (two extra sheets are included).
3. When trimming, use a sharp, nick-free blade with a bevel angle of 20-25º. Lift heights should not exceed 6 inches (approximately 1,000 sheets). Attempting to cut higher lifts may cause trimmed edges to block.
4. When loading press feeder, handle lifts carefully to avoid crimping the paper.
5. To avoid static related problems, maintain pressroom conditions of 70-80ºF (21-27ºC) and at least 45% relative humidity.
• Static build-up increases as ink covers the surface, therefore, print the lightest side first.
• Humidity control and static elimination are critical for printing on backside.
• Ionizing air units, static bars, and/or humidifiers may be required.

D. Printing Recommendations
1. Use high performance plates that require the least amount of water.
2. Minimize dampening water, ink, coating, and varnish film-thickness on each printing unit.
3. Each plate should have a matte-like appearance (never shiny) during the press run. Each printing plate should be set just above the scum line.
4. Use maximum allowable IPA or suitable alcohol substitute.
5. Maintain fountain solution between 4.0 – 5.0 pH. (Target is 4.5.)
6. Use a Grapho-type drier in the ink.
7. Minimize pressure of suckers, feederboard wheels, and feederboard brushes to avoid streaks.
8. The side of the form with the lighter total ink coverage should be printed first.
9. If backing up job, sparingly use drying agents on first side printed, and be sure to wind after ink has set.
10. To avoid static related problems maintain 70 – 80ºF and above 45% relative humidity. Use static elimination equipment such as humidifiers, static bars, and ionizing air units.
11. Over-pack compressible blankets by 3-mils, or increase back pressure by 10%.
12. Fan the lifts at least once after the ink has set.
13. Wash blankets every 1,000 – 2,000 sheets to remove paper dust.
14. Back up jobs within 24 – 48 hours.

E. Delivery Recommendations
• Use more spray powder than on coated papers.
• Fan loads several times to promote drying after ink has set.
• Avoid setoff:
1. Allow sheets to fall gently onto the pile.
2. Rack lifts, up to 4 inch lift height, on flat, one-piece delivery boards.
3. Disengage side-joggers if possible.
4. Avoid bumping, bouncing and applying pressure to loads.
5. Fan the loads if pile temperature exceeds 95° F.

F. Aqueous Coating Recommendations
1. Aqueous coatings can be used on YUPO, however, the coating should be formulated for YUPO and it must be completely dry after going through the delivery.
2. The following colors should be avoided on YUPO papers with aqueous coatings.
Please consult your ink supplier for alternate formulations.
• Red Lake C (warm red) ¨ Rhodamines ¨ Violet ¨ Reflex Blue
• Metallics ¨ Flourescents ¨ Purple
3. Extended delivery systems achieve best results. Ideal drying conditions are:
• Reduce press speed by 10%.
• Use the least coating volume as possible.
• Maximize air flow of drier.
• Reduce lift size to 3 inch.
• Fan the loads if pile temperature exceeds 95° F.
4. Two sided aqueous jobs are extremely difficult on YUPO.
• Topside must be completely dry before applying coating to the second side.
• Apply less coating, with a lower viscosity on the second side.
• The second side aqueous coating must be completely dry before entering the delivery.

G. Converting Recommendations
1. Always test adhesives, the design, laminations and bindery processes prior to actual production runs.
2. Dies, drill bits, and blades must be sharp and nick-free to prevent tears from developing.
3. Do not exceed one-inch stack height when drilling.
4. YUPO folds and perforates better with the grain direction than against it.
5. Avoid folds that cause air entrapment.