The Expanding World of Inkjet Papers

mills are achieving our Four and Five Diamond Levels for print quality."

Xerox continues to invest in the expansion of its inkjet business with the addition of the Impika aqueous technology in 2013 and continued development of the CiPress production inkjet systems. Jason Rider, worldwide manager, CiPress Business, says that "by offering a choice of technologies, Xerox can propose the best solution for customers. The CiPress solid ink platform was designed to deliver excellent image quality on plain paper, but the CiPress Tested Media List also includes coated, light- and heavy-weight paper, and specialty media."

Impika's Compact, eVolution and Reference printers are compatible with Impika's High Density (HD) or dye-based ink. Rider adds that "the HD ink set delivers excellent optical density on traditional offset or digital media, as well as enhanced gamut on inkjet papers, and some coated stocks."

Xerox also has long-standing relationships with paper companies, according to Rider. "An expanded media testing program, available for both waterless and aqueous ink, allows for efficient screening and robust testing of media."

At HP, Yale Goldis, product marketing manager, inkjet high-speed production solutions, says one big factor that will support future growth is the availability of lower-cost media solutions, especially gloss coated. HP inkjet web presses can now use Appleton Coated or NewPage coated dull and gloss papers with up to 80 percent coverage.

At last month's Inkjet Summit, Fujifilm North America, Graphic Systems Div., was voted "The Company to Watch" by the printer attendees. The Fujifilm J Press 720 is the world's first B2 format (19.69x27.83˝) sheetfed inkjet press and is said to be an excellent companion to the Fujifilm J Press 540W continuous-feed inkjet press. The J Press 720 prints on standard papers from 70-lb. text to 14-pt. cover, and the J Press 540W supports both inkjet and non-coated papers between 64 gsm (43.3-lb. text or 17-lb. bond) and 157 gsm.

Fujifilm does extensive paper testing at its Tech Center in Illinois, and uses proprietary technology to develop profiles for various papers. This enables Fujifilm to help customers optimize performance.

Media Options Expand

Appleton Coated recently ex­panded its range of coated papers by adding high yield 7-pt. and 9-pt. Matte Cover to the Utopia Inkjet line. Ann Whalen, senior vice president, notes that they perform very well on HP T-series and Kodak presses. Appleton Coated's line includes Utopia Inkjet Gloss, Dull and Matte ranging from 60-lb. text up to the new cover weights. The line also includes Utopia Uncoated Inkjet with ColorPRO Technology, plus Utopia Uncoated Inkjet for dye-based systems and Utopia Inkjet PE for piezoelectric inkjet presses. Appleton Coated's Book Inkjet line includes Utopia Book Inkjet in Smooth (uncoated) and Matte finishes, and Utopia Book Inkjet PE for piezoelectric inkjet presses.

Whalen points out that coated inkjet prices have come down, as greater volumes and longer runs have helped bring down costs. However, premiums over standard coated offset grades have not come down because prices for the offset grades declined in the third quarter of 2013 and the first quarter of 2014.

Cathy Cartolano, vice president of sales and technical services at Mitsubishi Imaging (MPM), advises that SWORD iJet Gloss has garnered a Five Diamond Rating for Kodak Prosper presses, the highest rating within the program. She adds that Sword "works well on all presses" and is available in satin, matte and gloss finishes.

SWORD iJet carries a premium price, and MPM has launched a new grade, Premier IJ Book, which is priced to be "competitive with other matte coated inkjet papers and is targeted to the higher volume book market." Premier IJ Book is available in 43-lb., which offers a yield advantage versus 45-lb. with a higher ppi. It is also available in 90 gsm, 105 gsm and 130 gsm. MPM is also launching another new grade, ValueJet, with a lighter coat weight and lower cost for transactional and transpromo printing.

Glatfelter offers two coated grades: Pixelle Restorecote and Pixelle Duo Matte, which work with both dye- and pigment-based inks. Glatfelter also offers 7-pt. and 9-pt. inkjet stock, on both treated and coated. Inkjet treated papers (uncoated) include 20-lb. and 24-lb. Engineering Bond and 20-lb., 24-lb. and 32-lb. Pixelle Bond HiBrite for dye- or pigment-based inks, plus Pixelle Book 50-lb. and 60-lb. text for pigment-based inks. Glatfelter recently introduced a new treated paper—Pixelle Bond Xtra—that has nearly the color gamut of coated inkjet papers.

Evolving Strategy

At Domtar, the strategy continues to evolve. Domtar is launching a new grade: VantageJet, which is similar to VividJet, but optimized for dye-based inkjet. According to Rieser, Domtar's approach is "to drive the Domtar products that best match the customers' needs in terms of their end-use application, print quality expectations and budget." She adds that Domtar is working closely with OEMs and ink companies "to find the right solutions for this ever-changing market." Because of the need for consultative selling at the printer and end user level, Domtar continues to market its inkjet paper through the Enterprise Group.

At International Paper, Rick Williams, product development coordinator, notes that because of the growth in digital printing IP made a decision to be the leader in inkjet.

"We believe that we have a wide range of uncoated papers that were developed to run on digital equipment," he says. Williams notes that the major growth in inkjet is with transpromo applications.

The IP offering includes Accent Opaque and Williamsburg Offset with ColorPRO Technology, created for the HP T-series presses, plus Accent Opaque and Williamsburg Offset with ImageLok Technology for a range of pigment-based inkjet presses. For dye-based inkjet presses, waterfast Accent Opaque Dyemond, is specially formulated to allow inks to dry quickly and better maintain their color when subjected to water or UV light.

Finch Paper is marketing a new grade, Finch Digital Web XP, a cross-platform (XP) grade designed to work on high-speed inkjet web presses, both pigment- and dye-based, as well as laser and offset printing applications.

100 Percent Recycled

Normand Champagne, Cascades Fine Papers Group general sales and marketing director, says that Cascades Enviro Jet is the only inkjet paper with 100 percent post-consumer recycled content made in North America. It is designed to produce high-quality results with both dye- and pigment-based inks.

Cascades Enviro Jet performs well on Kodak Versamark and Prosper presses, Ricoh InfoPrint, HP T-series presses, Canon Océ Stream presses and the Fujifilm J Press, Champagne says. Cascades Enviro Jet is available in 20-lb., 24-lb., 28-lb. and 32-lb. with smooth finish (110 Sheffield) and 92 brightness, and is suitable for direct mail, transactional print and books.

In September 2013, FutureMark Paper Group launched Future Jet, said to be the industry's first coated inkjet paper made with more than 90 percent recycled fiber. According to Steve Silver, FutureMark president and CEO, "Our testing on dye-based printers has revealed that Future Jet paper provides breakthrough print quality, with the added benefits of consuming less ink and no need for an extended media dryer."

The range of papers suitable for continuous-feed inkjet printing continues to expand. Challenges with ink and paper are being met every day as the industry develops a deeper understanding of the value proposition for continuous-feed inkjet. Consultative selling is essential, not only for paper mills, but also for printers, to sell the value proposition and also to better understand the market needs.