Color Driving Paper Trends

"They want to be able to use the same types of paper they were using in the past for offset printing," he says. International Paper has responded with a host of digital grades in various weights and finishes to accommodate this demand. Most other paper suppliers are doing the same.

Spangler points out that switching products over to digital is not as easy as simply trimming to new format sizes. Much effort has to go into changing the moisture levels and the electrostatic properties of the paper, as well as other engineered changes to the surface required by new printing techniques.