Abstract
The phenomenon of decrease in sizing efficiency when the stock temperature is increased is well recognized as summer sizing, and this is believed to be caused by uneven distribution of sizing agents on paper surface most often incurred by coagulation of sizing agents. When unevenly sized paper is used as coating base stock, nonuniform consolidation of the coating layer may result, which, in turn, causes uneven distribution of binder on coating surface. This causes nonuniform ink absorption to produce print mottle. In this study the effects of simple or polymeric electrolytes, storage temperature and time on the coagulation of cationic dispersed rosin size were investigated using a turbidity measurement method which was verified to correlate well with the particle size of rosin emulsion or its coagulates. Handsheets sized with rosin dispersions coagulated under various conditions were prepared and their sizing degree and coated paper properties including gloss and ink density were examined. The relationship between the sizing nonuniformity of coated papers and its ink absorption property was evaluated. Turbidity of rosin emulsion increased as the storage temperature and time were increased. Addition of simple or polymeric electrolytes caused reduction in $zeta$ -potential of the rosin dispersion and accelerated the coagulation tendency substantially. Reversion of the $zeta$ -potential of rosin dispersion, however, did not occur when coagulation was induced with simple electrolytes. On the other hand, addition of an anionic polyelectrolyte reversed the $zeta$ -potential of the flocculated rosin dispersion. This indicated that electrical double layer compaction and bridging flocculation were coagulation mechanisms for simple and polymeric electrolytes, respectively. Sizing degree decreased as coagulation of rosin was increased. Paper gloss, ink gloss and ink density were increased when sizing degree of base stock was increased most probably due to prevention of base paper swelling and increased binder migration to coating surface. This suggested that uneven printing ink density occurred when uneven sizing development was induced by coagulation of rosin particles.