Paper Mills Respond to Digital Needs

Existing presses from manufacturers such as Heidelberg, Indigo, and Xeikon have paved the way for next-generation equipment now making its way into the printing industry. With the introduction of machines such as the NexPress 2100 and DocuColor iGen3, digital color printing has arrived. The question now is how fast this market will grow.

According to a recent survey by the National Association for Printing Leadership, 53% of printers expect digital printing to grow faster than offset over the next two years. And as it advances, paper mills will continue to offer digital media product and choice.

Most printer manufacturers offer accessories that include paper products of varying basis weights, sizes, and shades. Paper companies make grades for OEMs, wholesalers, and retailers, sometimes at the behest of retailers and sometimes to create or strengthen their own brands. Either way, the paper should be specified to fit both the printing technology and the end-user performance criteria.

Apple, Canon, Encad, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Indigo, Océ, Xerox, and other printer makers contract paper companies to make substrates to their specifications, knowing their processes (like paper path) and process parameters (like fusion temperature and nozzle design). OEMs then can market their products through distribution networks or retailers.

In printing plants where one technology is employed, this probably is the easiest way to buy paper.

Printer OEMs have a variety of paper and non-paper substrates that are guaranteed to perform; end users should keep in mind that they will pay a premium for these brands. Many products may not work on machines employing other printing technologies, and thus use of another product through these devices may void an existing warranty if something goes wrong (though there is little risk with paper).

Several OEMs do not offer digital media products. Heidelberg, Scitex, Xeikon, and others provide only guidance in media to stay independent from paper mill partners, the latter of which work very closely with these worldwide groups in research teams to produce universal applications at good value to the consumer.

What OEM-specified papers deliver in performance, they may lack in versatility. If more than one paper technology is used in house, paper storage may become an issue. Unless a printing firm has a storage room with temperature and humidity control, efficiency gains can be lost quickly due to a change in environment (weather, humidity, sunlight, accidents).

The solution is to use a distributor that carries on hand the brands and quantities that you use, be they broken or palletized cartons. Unfortunately, your brand may not be carried by the merchant or paper store, especially if you prefer OEM brands.

Paper mills may offer sample requests, swatchbooks, and other materials to support the designing and manufacturing processes. Further, many mills have the machines that you use on site or at close range. Sending a sample digitally should be no problem for letterhead combinations, direct mail examples, brochures, and printed promotional materials, as long as they are within a reasonable file size range and are easy to download. Otherwise, you may have to pay a charge for overnight delivery.

"Each technology works differently," says Garth Geist, director of digital media for Smart Papers. "With laser printers or toner-based printing, microscopic particles of dry toner are 'fused' with heat and pressure onto a substrate. Smoothness is absolutely critical for good image quality."

Equally important for laser printing, adds Geist, is moisture content and dimensional stability, or the ability of a sheet of paper to withstand the heat of fusing and the squareness of a sheet to feed cleanly. "Sheets lacking uniform moisture content and dimensional stability may produce problems like curl and jams," he explains.

New printing equipment from OEMs incorporates flatbed imaging and fusing technology, allowing papers to maintain a straight path through the equipment versus the twists and turns associated with standard circular drum imaging equipment.

"Customers can now use thicker substrates that previously were not recommended by equipment manufacturers," states Geist, who says that Smart Papers is actively marketing higher basis weights and coated papers for use in card and other thicker digital printing applications.

In ink-jet printing applications, drops of liquid ink are displaced from a tiny nozzle with either heat or electric current. Papers used with ink-jet printers thus need to be designed for good image clarity and drying capabilities.

Uncoated and coated grades of ink-jet paper need to be scrutinized for maximum performance. Here, coating quality varies widely among mill brands. Well-designed ink-jet papers will provide excellent image quality on highest-resolution settings, and also will be dry to the touch immediately after the printer sends the printed image to the output tray.

"An example of a common mistake made with laser printing is choosing a sheet that doesn't create a good bond with the toner, which results in ghosting," says Geist. "It's critical to verify compatibility, as well as to test your paper choice prior to committing to its use for a project.

"You also can work with age-old trial and error," Geist continues. "Typically, given the small runs associated with these print methods, trial-and-error methodology isn't necessarily all that bad. You may find that using different papers for the same project will give you an entirely different look than you had imagined."

According to Chris Harrold, manager of national accounts and business development for Mohawk Paper Mills, "The most common mistake is in selecting papers purely on price and runnability, without taking quality into account. Color changes everything, and it's important for printers to recognize that they're producing high-value printed documents, whether long-run, short-run, laser, or ink-jet in nature.

"Another important consideration is convergence," Harrold continues. "Printers that are integrating offset and digital into the same facility prefer to work with papers that run on a full range of equipment. Given the flexibility of today's pressroom, the same job may be run on a Quickmaster DI, color copier, or full-color offset press, so using papers tailored to a specific piece of equipment is too limiting in this environment."

"Mohawk Paper has seen steady growth across the board in its digital business, and we expect that it will continue to grow," states Harrold. "We're particularly interested in the digital color production market, which is off to a good start and integrates well with commercial printing, our core market. The end markets are as varied as commercial printing and include marketing materials, presentations, and personalized products."

Harrold continues, "As this market evolves, we see it beginning to look more like printing than copying. For this reason, we'll be launching a new market focus this month at the On Demand event in New York City: Mohawk Digital Papers for Color Copiers. Featuring Navajo, Satin 2.0, and Mohawk 50/10 gloss, these papers offer a range of basis weights, shades, finishes, and price points for copiers, printers, and digital duplicators."

At Smart Papers, Geist believes that personalized direct mail is the fastest-growing digital printing segment.

"Typically, a response rate of 2% to 3% on non-personalized direct mail is the best rate that mail marketers can hope for," he relates. "According to IBM, personalized direct mail, with the addition of color, can increase response rates to 36%. Personalization helps companies increase revenue and retain their best customers."

Notes Geist, all Smart Papers products that are designed for digital printing are being utilized for direct mail in some fashion. "Kromekote, with its heavyweight caliper and ultra-smooth glossy surface, works particularly well for return mail post cards and high-impact promotional mailings."

He continues, "Another rapidly growing segment affected by digital printing is greeting cards/social stationery. Think about new baby announcements or greeting cards that are designed specifically for you. Knightkote Matte cover, our matte-coated two-side grade, has been used successfully in both of these applications."