The effect of micro scale variations on fluting formation has been studied by using quasi-static post-buckling analyses. The analyses are based on implicit time integration techniques and incorporated the ink stiffening effect during drying in the heatset oven. A series of parametric studies have been conducted to investigate effects of bending stiffness, ink thickness, tension, and scale of moisture variations. Experiments were also performed to estimate the ink layer stiffness after drying and to investigate the retention of flutes after printing. The results showed that, in order to explain the occurrence of flutes in the wavelength of 1-2 cm, micro-scale strain variations are necessary. Such variations are most likely caused by the local moisture variations and the subsequent plastic deformation of paper due to heating. Ink stiffening alone was found to be insufficient to retain the fluting shapes after drying.