I finally verified an old drafting legend about 30x40 vellum sheets

I've been hearing for years that standard 30x40 inch vellum sheets actually shrink about 1/8 of an inch after printing due to heat from the plotter. I never believed it until last month when I measured a fresh batch from the local art supply store in Portland against some old prints. Sure enough, the post-print sheets were consistently 29 and 7/8 inches wide. Has anyone else found this happening with their media?

3 comments

3 Comments

barbara_baker5726d ago

My old 1970s prints never shrank but the new ones sure do, changed my mind completely.

oliver226d ago

Yeah the whole "they don't make em like they used to" thing really applies to fabrics apparently. Those old 70s prints were probably thicker cotton or polyester blends that could take a wash without warping. Now it feels like everything is this thin rayon stuff that shrinks if you look at it wrong.

haydenbutler26d ago

Not sure I buy that the heat from a plotter is enough to cause that kind of change. More likely it's just a quality control issue with the new stuff they're putting out. @barbara_baker57 might be onto something about the old prints being better, but 1/8 inch is a lot of shrinkage for just a little warmth.