Continuous stationery
Continuous printing paper (short continuous paper or Tabellierpapier because of the Tabulating coming called ) is paper for printing with impact printers ( line printers ), but is also used with continuous laser printers, with no single sheets, but seemingly endless sheets of paper to be printed. Continuous printing is more specifically used to create large amounts of pressure, for example in enterprise data centers or authorities. Also, the program prints were created like on continuous paper, as they are clear without annoying page breaks. While in the beginning of the computer age prints absolutely typical ( and with advent of dot matrix printers also in the home particularly cheap ) were on continuous paper, are managed almost exclusively where production steps or operation acts of safety-related equipment must be immediately documented, printers in use that process this paper (eg in Zugmeldeeinrichtungen the railway).
Continuous paper has compared to single -sheet printing the advantage that the paper transport mechanism of the printer easily constructed and can therefore be more robust. In particular, tow tractors offer a reliable and accurate paper feed and allow what is especially useful for printing large quantities, unattended printing. Adversely, if necessary, to be the additional steps for separation into individual sheets, and removing the guide hole edges. Are generated at the horizontal and vertical separation points possibly rougher edges than individually printed sheets.
Continuous printing requires the use of printers that have a special paper transport mechanism, such as " tow tractors " or " spiked rollers " (also " sprocket " called ).
- 2.1 Paper Height
- 2.2 Paper Width
- 3.1 Standard paper
- 3.2 Preprinted papers
- 3.3 multiple forms side by side
- 3.4 Form Sets
Distinction on the type of paper feed
With Hole edge
The continuous paper most commonly used has left and right edge of the paper guide holes ( Remaliner - hole) in which the " sprockets " or bands ( sting spacing each ½ inch = 12.7 mm, see below) of the intervention so-called tractor to the paper transport. The side strips with the guide holes are optionally pronounced as separable edges with perforation or without perforation. The individual sheets are separated from each other by a perforation, and alternately in " zig- zag" method ( " fanfold ", one forward, one rearward ) folded. Usual standard delivery units are boxes of 2000 sheets of content and a paper weight of 80 g / m², with copies to most 500 or 1000 sheets with only 60 to 70 g / m².
Paper in rolls
Alternatively, is generated ( for modern laser printers) the (continuous ) advance only with nip rollers, as no stagnation of the paper in ( non-contact ) printing more is required. For this purpose the (possibly colored) are pre-printed forms and standard material ( white) typically as rotary printing usual supplied in roll form and ( in the black rule) printed. Since no pressure lines (more) must be adhered to, text, lines, graphics, logos, etc. can be printed in a printing operation.
Basic dimensions for continuous paper
Paper height
Continuous paper is aligned according to the paper guide mechanism on the printer inch dimensions. Since the " A4 " format (297 mm) varies therefrom, in Germany usually twelve inches high ( = 304.8 mm) paper. In the United States is often only eleven inches high usual continuous paper. By default, the paper is printed in line printers " single-line " with six ( in " narrow " mode with eight) lines per inch; thus would have a page 72 lines, but you can usually three headers and footers free and can use only 64 lines (at 12 "paper ) net 66, at " real " A4 format. Especially when using preprinted forms includes a full " fan- fold " ( of eg 12 inches in height ) in the vertical direction often several individual forms.
Paper width
Typical line printer in the computer (not laser printers) have a fixed character width of ten characters per inch and can usually only max. 132 characters per line print, large machines also create paper widths up to 420 mm ( equal to A2 width corresponding to 16 " ) and, thus, max. 160 character positions per line. For narrow papers / forms, such as for 1-lane address labels, the paper guide of the printer can be adjusted accordingly narrower.
Form variants
Standard paper
The default paper jokingly " Green White " (because of the frequent usual horizontal alternating green and white pre-printed guides ) is called printer paper used generally for creating lists.
Preprinted papers
Preprinted paper is used for special print formats such as letters, invoices, statements, customer cards etc.. Here, the form in the printer must be set up extremely accurate and the printer each form type to be converted repeatedly.
Multiple forms side by side
In special cases, multiple forms are arranged side by side. This type is used for example for cards of different paper thickness, pre-cut adhesive labels, transfer receipts, etc. - what needs to be particularly considered when creating the print line ( in the program).
Form sets
Special versions of continuous paper consist of sets of forms with multiple layers ( up to seven ) itself by written paper which are only connected to the guide edges, resulting after separation of the side strips individual punches. Also, carbon paper is used as an intermediate layer for carbon copies. Laser printers are " carbon copies " is not possible, here you create "multiple originals ".
Management by the printer
When using chain printers blank paper stack is usually the front bottom of the printer, the paper web is pulled upward, passes through the printing position and is behind the printer (with correct paper guide, otherwise a paper jam ), in turn, zigzag- folded original folding direction accordingly, as stack stored.
The transporting the paper in the printer was controlled at the earlier almost exclusively used (for larger volume printing data centers ) chain printers via an endlessly glued, about 4 cm wide " feed belt ". In it, were especially useful for printing the forms, specific line items in the form stamped ( for example, the form header or certain intermediate positions or footer ) in so-called " channels " as holes. For pressure -feed character to certain channels in single print line ( set in the computer program ) led the feed mechanism of the printer a "jump " to the particular channel (for example, by channel 3 = at line xx). This results in a higher pressure performance was achieved when printing multiple blank lines (depending on the form filling and also programmatically ).
Depending on the type of form, the printed paper is mechanically - horizontally and / or vertically - cut, so that the printed products can be as individual documents, possibly bundled into stacks shipped. Frequently, mostly for list prints, printed paper stack is also unseparated, possibly only with removal of the guide hole edge sent to ( with a paper cutter ) the recipients.
With modern paper finishing machines various forms / documents can be merged and also envelopes and postage to ship today.
For ease of manual processing so-called cover pages are printed frequently, on each of which information on the nature of the prints / forms, recipient names and addresses, etc., parts of it are often high in lines 20-30 characters are printed.