Have you ever really liked a paper, only to find that it is not made in as heavy a weight as you would like? Or really wish that a paper were two different colors or finishes on each side? Or maybe a three-layered paper with a special corporate theme color in the center?
All these special paper requirements can be had, with the use of paper duplexing. We permanently fuse two or more papers together. The newly created paper will not separate or come apart.
Besides being great for creating your own custom paper, duplexing allows us to flat print on a paper thickness that would never work on offset or digital presses. Also, by duplexing after letterpress printing, there is no impression show through from one side to the other.
A liquid adhesive is used for duplexing. As the adhesive dries, it pulls the sheets of paper together and bind them permanently. Because of this pulling and binding action, it is not advised to duplex a card that has been embossed. The drying of the duplexing adhesive will pull the embossing down a little, and it will pull the paper on the opposite side down into the back of the embossing, causing a low spot on the non-embossed side of the card. Triplexing, with a more rigid paper in the center will help to minimize this artifact.
The most frequently produced items are duplexed wedding invitations, duplexed business cards, duplexed Mitzvah invitations, and duplexed stationery.