• Paper has "grain" because fibers align themselves in the direction of the wire's travel through the papermaking machine.
• To test for grain direction, dampen a sheet of paper. It will curl parallel to the grain direction.
• A paper is said to be "grain short" when the fibers are parallel to the short dimension (edge) of the sheet; "grain long" when parallel to the long dimension.
• Paper always stretches during printing, but it stretches more with the grain than against it. Therefore, printers try to print with the grain parallel to the press cylinders to keep stretch and misregistration to a minimum.
• In the bindery, it is better to fold with the grain than against it, since folding against the grain can cause the paper to crack.
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