Upon receiving the finished goods, the client is responsible for storing them in suitable conditions. JELGAVAS TIPOGRAFIJA cannot be held accountable for deformation of finished goods (paper and cardboard) if the client fails to comply with the specified acclimatization and storage conditions.

Product acclimatization and storage

Books essentially consist of paper, and paper is a living material. Each paper sheet consists of fibres that are extremely sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity. Each paper has its own original paper moisture, which is present in the fibres at the final stage of paper production – this is known as the original paper moisture. When paper enters an environment where there is a higher or lower degree of moisture than the original moisture of the paper, it either absorbs or releases its moisture, as a result of which the paper fibres either expand or contract, respectively. As a consequence, the paper sheets deform, becoming wavy or curved. For these reasons, proper storage and acclimatization of paper and cardboard products is extremely important, because moisture and temperature significantly affect paper and its products.

Papers and cardboards used in printing are produced with relative humidity of 45-55 %. This is because offset printing machines use moisture and paper is exposed to the same moisture environment during processing. With such moisture, paper fibres are stable and constant in size.

The printing house provides the required climate for the paper in its production facility, but after receiving the finished goods, the client must take care of the acclimatization of the finished goods after the transportation and subsequent storage in suitable conditions. Finished goods may be irreversibly damaged due to inadequate acclimatization and/or incorrect storage.

For proper acclimatization and storage of paper products, following conditions must be provided:

• the products should be acclimatized and stored in their packaging. This helps preserve the paper’s original moisture content;
• the storage rooms should maintain a consistent temperature between 19-23 °C as much as possible, and the products should be stored in their packaging;
• the acclimatization time must be carefully and precisely monitored.

GRT (General Trade Rules) standards determine following acclimatization time for paper and paper products depending on the temperature: