The degree to which an offset press blanket will let go of the paper as it leaves the impression nip. Although release is a function of many aspects of the offset printing process—such as ink tack, the extent of the squeeze between the blanket cylinder and impression cylinder, and the surface characteristics of the paper—the structural characteristics of the blanket also play an important role. It is the unanimous opinion of press operators that hard blankets release the paper better than soft ones (although empirical research has yet to confirm this, perhaps due to the inadequacy of effective quantification of blanket hardness), and somewhat rough surfaces release paper better than smooth ones. (See Blanket.)
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