supercalendered finish

A supercalendered finish is a process in papermaking that results in an exceptionally smooth and compact printing surface. This is achieved by passing paper through a specialized calendering operation after it leaves the main paper machine. In this process, the paper is pressed between alternating sets of iron and compressed fiber rolls.1

This technique is distinct from standard calendering, which uses heated rolls to smooth and compress materials like paper, textiles, and plastic sheeting. A supercalender is specifically a stack of highly polished calender rolls designed to give paper an extra finish. This extra smoothness makes supercalendered paper ideal for applications like books, brochures, and magazines that require high-quality halftone printing.231