A glossmeter shines a beam at the surface and measures how much light leaves at the mirror angle, relative to a polished black glass reference. Smooth, closed surfaces from coating and calendering raise it, while roughness, open pores and matte pigments lower it. Paper uses 75 degrees for most coated and uncoated grades and 20 degrees for very high-gloss surfaces.
Gloss came down four units on the drive side, check the supercalender nip load before we ship it.
Keep the glossmeter's black glass standard spotless; a fingerprint on it reads as a gloss shift on every sample that follows.
Also heard as
- specular gloss
- sheet gloss
- paper gloss
Related terms
75-degree gloss
Specular gloss measured at 75 degrees from the normal, the standard angle for coated and most uncoated papers.
20-degree gloss
Specular gloss measured at a steep 20 degrees, used to separate very glossy papers, boards and prints.
Print gloss
Gloss of the printed ink film on a paper, as distinct from the gloss of the bare sheet.
Supercalender
Off-machine stack of alternating steel and resilient filled rolls that gives paper high gloss and smoothness.
Snap
Pressroom word for the visual contrast between glossy printed areas and the surrounding paper.