Roll-fed Digital at On Demand

Digital presses have made dramatic gains in user acceptance, particularly because they offer more reliable print engines—capable of handling jobs that might otherwise be done on sheetfed offset. But feeding cut-sheet papers for longer digital print runs takes a lot of loading, especially if you are unwrapping reams as you go.

Consequently, roll-fed systems can be expected to gain ground. And, of course, rolls are a necessity in continuous roll digital machines. Mills have broadened their offerings in digital roll stock, providing the paper in sizes etc. A number of suppliers are exhibiting their roll-fed digital papers at this month's On Demand Expo in Boston.

Roll-fed digital papers are engineered to withstand the rigors of digital printing, such as high fusing heat and pressure. Their surface must be suitable to accept the inks or toners of the digital process. Rolls are subject to fusing temperatures of 200° centigrade and higher. Sheet stability is critical. These papers need to perform in a variety of post-processing operations, including stitching and folding. Paper must have low moisture to prevent curl. Roll attributes include no baggy edges, uniform caliper and optimal roll finishing. Roll width tolerances are typically less than +/- 1/32´´.

Key digital-roll products from Finch Paper include Digital Opaque, Fine Digital, Fine iD (for HP Indigo), Laser Opaque, Color Copier and Ultra White Inkjet (for Kodak Versamark). Fine Digital is 98 brightness. A complete line of HP-approved, uncoated (treated) papers for the Indigo press line is offered. Finch offers 98 bright white shade in basis weights in 50/60/70/80 and 100-lb. Text weights, plus 80- and 100-lb. Cover and the newest offering—100-lb. Cover. Also available are 80-lb. Text and 100-lb. Cover weights in a vanilla-colored shade.

A wide range of scripted Xeikon papers are made by Mohawk Fine Papers. Navajo is 98 brightness, 20% post-consumer waste content and is available in 60/70/80 and 100-lb. Text and 65-, 80- and 90-lb. Cover. Via Satin (formerly Mohawk Satin) is 30% PCW and is offered in two shades—Radiant White, 94 Bright, 90-lb. Cover and Blue White, 95 Bright, 90-lb. Cover. 50/10 Gloss is a coated grade with 15% PCW and is available in 80-lb. text and 90-lb. cover, both 96 brightness. All products are available in roll widths of 12.5´´ and 19.7´´.

Nekoosa Coated Products delivers a complete carbonless and coated digital paper program for printers and distributors. The custom roll program is a key concentration in support of marketplace requests and product line extensions for these two product ranges.

The program can provide roll-fed digital carbonless and roll-fed digital coated in 80- and 100-lb. text and cover basis weights. Digital carbonless is optimized for monochrome or color digital printing and positioned for applications that require offset preprinting with secondary variable-data printing.

New Page offers Sterling Ultra Digital, a comprehensive coated digital line. Brightness is 90, available in gloss and matte finishes. Text weights for gloss and matte are 80- and 100-lb. Cover weights for gloss are 8 pt. and 9 pt., and for matte, 7 pt. and 9 pt. Sterling Ultra Digital Imaging Rolls are specially designed for roll-fed production toner machines that have the ability to print variable data.

For the HP Indigo WS series, Smart Papers manufactures and stocks Carnival Whites, a premium uncoated text and cover grade, and Knightkote Matte, a No. 1 matte, manufactured with 30% PCW and 50% total recycled fiber. Its flagship Kromekote brand has been optimized for use in digital printing engines. For dry toner engines, grades are available in rolls, engineered for exceptional toner transfer. All are available for minimal quantities on a manufacturing basis.

Enterprise Group offers a selection of uncoated free sheet papers as roll-fed digital products. A variety of basis weights are offered in brightness levels ranging from 92 to 98.

Stora Enso's Futura Laser coated digital papers have a brightness of 96 and run on dry and liquid toner and digital offset technologies. Available in roll form as a special making order, Futura Laser is guaranteed for digital offset printers and certified by the Rochester Institute of Technology for use with HP Indigo.

Other suppliers of digital rolls exhibiting at On Demand include smaller firms such as Convertible Brands, GPA and Ziegler Paper USA.

International Paper and xpedx are at On Demand but are only promoting digital sheetfed products. Xerox's focus is also on sheetfed, but its custom solutions business does offer some roll-type digital papers.