Printing on Stone Paper
Which Flexstone coating and part-number group goes with which printing process — eco-solvent, latex, wide-format UV inkjet, UV-curable press inks, offset, flexo, screen, HP Indigo and dry toner — together with the published heat ratings and the printing index that define what will and will not work.
By Guangzhou Newlife New Material Co., Ltd. · Reviewed 2026-10-12
Match the coating to the printing process
Stone paper does not absorb ink the way paper does, so print quality depends on a coating formulated for a specific ink system. That is why the coating code is the first thing to check, and the part number the second, because printability is published per group of part numbers. For (eco) solvent and latex wide-format printers, use an S-coated grade; FS-S22-PSA and FS-S27-PSA are listed for HP Latex only. For wide-format UV inkjet, three groups apply: the S-coated grades apart from those two; the wide-format K-coated grades (the K-PSA rolls on NMEQS-MACO 294, the K-coated DPA films on 303 and the K-coated wall fabric on 299); and the FS / FG 2K grades from 0.20 to 0.30 mm that are supplied as UV rolls (NMEQS-MACO 296). Narrow-web K label stock (NMEQS-MACO 295) is listed for offset, flexo and UV printing on a label press, not as wide-format inkjet media, and the other 2K grades are sheets for offset and UV-curable inks. For offset, use 2K sheets or K-coated label stock. For flexo, use K-coated label stock or the FS / FG 2K grades from 0.15 to 0.30 mm (specification sheet NMEQS-MACO 293), which are also the 2K grades listed for screen print; FM-2K grades and all 0.35 mm 2K grades are listed in the Label & Hang Tag Solutions brochure for offset and UV only. For HP Indigo, use I or 2I grades. For dry-toner presses, use the FG digital press grades (NMEQS-MACO 298): FG-2I and FG-I…-PSA. A coating that is right for one process can be wrong for another: specification sheet NMEQS-MACO 293 marks its 2K grades as not compatible with HP Indigo.
- (Eco) solvent, latex → S coating (FS-S22-PSA and FS-S27-PSA: HP Latex only)
- Wide-format UV inkjet → S grades (not FS-S22-PSA / FS-S27-PSA), wide-format K grades (294, 303, 299), FS / FG 2K 0.20–0.30 mm rolls (296)
- Offset → 2K sheets or K-coated label stock; flexo → K-coated label stock or FS / FG 2K 0.15–0.30 mm (NMEQS-MACO 293), which also covers screen
- HP Indigo → I or 2I coating
- Dry toner → FG-2I and FG-I…-PSA grades (NMEQS-MACO 298)
Wide-format inkjet: eco-solvent, latex and UV inkjet
S-coated Flexstone is specified for (eco) solvent, HP Latex and wide-format UV inkjet printers, except the self-adhesive FS-S22-PSA and FS-S27-PSA, which are listed for HP Latex only. Six plain grades are available — FS-S22, FS-S27, FS-S32, FG-S22, FG-S27 and FG-S32 — as 50 m rolls in 1270, 1370 and 1524 mm widths, with a matte 3–8 gloss, whiteness ≥82 and opacity ≥90%. Standard supply is printable on one side; two-side printable material is available on request. Eco-solvent and latex printers both apply heat to dry or cure the ink, so run the heater settings no higher than the image needs and confirm flatness on a test print. UV inks cure with little heat; for wide-format UV inkjet the wide-format K-coated grades and the FS / FG 2K rolls from 0.20 to 0.30 mm are also listed.
- S coating: (eco) solvent, HP Latex and wide-format UV inkjet (FS-S22-PSA / FS-S27-PSA: HP Latex only)
- Grades: FS-S22 / S27 / S32 and FG-S22 / S27 / S32
- Rolls: 50 m × 1270 / 1370 / 1524 mm
- One-side printable as standard; two sides on request
- Keep heater settings moderate and confirm with a test print
Offset and UV printing on 2K sheets — and where flexo and screen apply
Flexstone 2K grades are coated on both sides and fall into two groups. The FS / FG 2K grades from 0.15 to 0.30 mm (specification sheet NMEQS-MACO 293) are listed for offset, flexo, screen and UV-curable inks and are supplied as sheets die-cut to order, and the 0.20 to 0.30 mm grades are additionally listed as rolls for wide-format UV inkjet (NMEQS-MACO 296); for this group the specification sheet gives elongation of 30%–60% and a tensile strength of 15–20 (no unit is given on the sheet). The FM-2K grades and all 0.35 mm 2K grades (FS-2K35, FM-2K35, FG-2K35) are listed in the Label & Hang Tag Solutions brochure for offset and UV only, with nominal weight and no mechanical data. Because the substrate is non-absorbent, conventional offset inks may dry more slowly than on paper; confirm ink selection, drying and stack height with a press test. For narrow-web label work, K-coated self-adhesive label stock is listed for offset, flexographic and UV printing.
- FS / FG 2K 0.15–0.30 mm (specification sheet NMEQS-MACO 293): offset, flexo, screen and UV curable, as sheets
- FS / FG 2K 0.20–0.30 mm (NMEQS-MACO 296): also rolls for wide-format UV inkjet
- FS / FG 2K 0.15–0.30 mm (293): elongation 30%–60%; tensile strength 15–20 (unit not stated on the sheet)
- FM-2K and all 0.35 mm 2K grades (Label & Hang Tag Solutions brochure): offset and UV only, nominal weight only
- Non-absorbent surface — confirm ink and drying with a press test
HP Indigo and dry-toner digital presses
Digital presses need their own Flexstone coating. The 2I grades are two-side coated sheets for HP Indigo in 0.20, 0.25, 0.30 and 0.35 mm; the FG grades on specification sheet NMEQS-MACO 298 are supplied in 460 × 320 mm and 480 × 330 mm, and no sheet size is published for the brochure-only FS-2I and FM-2I grades. The FG-2I grades (NMEQS-MACO 298) are specified for HP Indigo, dry toner, UV curable, offset and screen print, and the Label & Hang Tag Solutions brochure lists FS-2I and FM-2I for Indigo and FG-2I for Indigo and toner. FG-I15-PSA and FG-I20-PSA add a permanent adhesive for one-side printed labels. Do not substitute a 2K offset grade: the printing index on specification sheet NMEQS-MACO 293, which covers the FS / FG 2K grades from 0.15 to 0.30 mm, marks HP Indigo as not compatible and dry toner as testing required, and the brochure-only FM-2K and 0.35 mm 2K grades are listed for offset and UV only.
- 2I sheets: 0.20–0.35 mm; FG grades (NMEQS-MACO 298) in 460 × 320 mm and 480 × 330 mm
- FG-2I (NMEQS-MACO 298): HP Indigo, dry toner, UV curable, offset, screen print
- FS-2I and FM-2I: listed for HP Indigo
- FG-I15-PSA / FG-I20-PSA: permanent-adhesive digital press sheets
- FS / FG 2K 0.15–0.30 mm (NMEQS-MACO 293): HP Indigo not compatible; dry toner testing required
Heat limits: what temperature can Flexstone take?
Flexstone contains thermoplastic resin, so every heated step in a print process needs care. Heat ratings are published for two groups of part numbers only. For the FS / FG 2K grades from 0.15 to 0.30 mm (specification sheet NMEQS-MACO 293), the long-term rating, meaning days of exposure, is 80℃ (176℉), and the short-term rating, meaning minutes, is 100℃ (212℉) for FS and 120℃ (248℉) for FG. For the FG digital press grades (NMEQS-MACO 298), the ratings are 80℃ long-term and 120℃ short-term. No heat rating is published for the S and K coated grades or for the brochure-only FM-2K, 0.35 mm 2K, FS-2I and FM-2I grades; confirm with a test before using them in a heated process. Separately from these process ratings, every specification sheet (NMEQS-MACO 293–299 and 303) states an application condition — the environment the finished material is used in — of -20℃ to 60℃ at 20% to 80% relative humidity, with temperature changes under 15℃ within 30 minutes. It applies to the part numbers the sheets list and is not a drying, curing or fusing limit. Dryers, curing lamps, fusers and laminators that exceed the published ratings can distort the sheet. Flexstone is not a substrate for retort or other very high temperature applications.
- FS / FG 2K 0.15–0.30 mm (NMEQS-MACO 293), long-term (days): 80℃ / 176℉
- FS / FG 2K 0.15–0.30 mm (293), short-term (minutes): 100℃ / 212℉ for FS, 120℃ / 248℉ for FG
- FG digital press grades (NMEQS-MACO 298): 80℃ long-term, 120℃ / 248℉ short-term
- Application condition — the environment the finished job is used in, for specification-sheet part numbers; not a process limit: -20℃ to 60℃, 20%–80% relative humidity, temperature change below 15℃ within 30 minutes
- No heat rating is published for other grades; not for retort or very high temperature use
The printing index and pressroom conditions
The printing index on a Flexstone specification sheet rates each process with one of three marks: compatible, testing required or not compatible. Treat testing required literally — run the actual press, ink and finishing sequence on sample material before committing a job. Condition the material before printing. The conditions below are those printed on the specification sheets and apply to the part numbers those sheets list; none are published for brochure-only part numbers. The specified working condition is 15℃ to 30℃ at 30% to 60% relative humidity, and the application condition — the environment the finished job is used in, not a process limit — is -20℃ to 60℃ at 20% to 80% relative humidity, with temperature variation within 30 minutes below 15℃. Storage is in the original box, out of direct sunlight, at 10℃ to 35℃ and 20% to 70% relative humidity, with a shelf life of 12 months under these conditions. Unfinished material should be seal-packed; every specification sheet except the offset sheet (NMEQS-MACO 293) adds that it should be used within one month.
- Three marks: compatible / testing required / not compatible
- Working condition (specification-sheet part numbers): 15–30℃, 30%–60% RH
- Application condition (finished job, all specification sheets; not a process limit): -20℃ to 60℃, 20%–80% RH, temperature change below 15℃ within 30 minutes
- Storage: original box, no direct sunlight, 10–35℃, 20%–70% RH
- Specification-sheet part numbers: shelf life 12 months; all sheets except NMEQS-MACO 293 add that unfinished material be used within 1 month