Pulp Diction

Your demands are being heard. Vendors are altering paper content to keep pace with printing technology changes.

As an in-plant manager, do you take your paper for granted? Do you follow the trends, or stay with what has worked in the past?

If you're an efficient manager, you're always looking for ways to improve. And today's papers can improve the quality of your printing quite a bit. The advent of print-on-demand technology and the increase in color copying and printing have altered the types of paper printers want. Customers now look for brighter, whiter sheets to ensure sufficient contrast with various colors. Manufacturers are working to satisfy these needs.

"The whole area of digital printing, black and white and color...is hot," enthuses Tamara Pope, marketing manager for Avenor.

But printers need more than just better quality. Since in-plants are constantly trying to keep a lid on rising costs, paper has to be able to fit all situations—and all equipment.

According to Pope, the key for manufacturers is recognizing that customers do not want to buy multiple grades to run on different equipment.

"With the rapidly developing range of technologies, it's not easy nor economical to develop every grade to run on all print technologies," she says. "But, you must make sure that multi-purpose grades are available for the most commonly used equipment."

Higher Brightness, Sharper Clarity

The saying, "The more things change the more they stay the same," isn't as true with paper. Take brightness. The overall clarity in a blue-white sheet has increased considerably from 10 years ago according to Vince Phelan, senior manager of Creative Services at Champion International.

"The basic brightness used to be 79 or 80," he comments. "The lowest rating today is about 84, which is almost a 10 percent increase."

Phelan adds that paper vendors have had to accommodate to keep up with changes in equipment. "For ink-jet printers, the paper needs to be able to dry quickly, not allowing the ink to leak through," he says.

What about that disappointing curl that can put a dent in your otherwise flawless piece? Bob Hieronymus, Georgia-Pacific senior marketing project manager, communication papers, reports that mills are adjusting papers to better meet the atmospheric demands of digital print engines.

"For instance," Hieronymus explains, "the high temperature fusing process that takes place during toner adhesion can cause paper to curl. By reducing the moisture content for digital presses to 4.5 percent, as opposed to 5.5 percent commonly used for offset paper, the risk of curling is greatly reduced. A smaller moisture percentage also allows for better control of electrostatic conductivity, which improves toner adhesion."

Mavis Motherway, marketing manager at Sappi Fine Paper (formerly S.D. Warren), says that most manufacturers recommend a pressroom temperature of 68 to 77 degrees and a 50 percent (±4) relative humidity to prevent curling.

Paper Aesthetics

If brighter is good, smoother is even better. The two work together to allow improved reproduction of color and graphics.

"The surface smoothness of a paper plays a critical role in toner adhesion—the smoother the surface, the better the adhesion," Hieronymus says.

Paper smoothness is measured in Sheffield units, with lower numbers representing smoother surfaces. Sheffield units for high-quality digital printing paper, Hieronymus says, usually range between 50 and 75; by comparison, offset papers generally range between 100 to 200 Sheffield units.

Motherway adds that "dull" finish papers, particularly in premium coated grades, are becoming popular. Though appealing to look at, problems can occur because the surfaces are more sensitive to marking. So a protective coating helps, she advises.

Printing On Demand

The print-on-demand environment has drastically changed in-plants' options, and manufacturers are offering new papers.

• Georgia-Pacific has a Microprint line that Hieronymus contends is a high performance paper engineered with the on-demand market in mind. For printers using roll-fed systems, the paper is offered in imaging rolls.

• International Paper has increased the papers it offers for electro-photographic print-on-demand jobs. Just introduced is the 60-lb. and 80-lb Color Copy Cover in the Hammermill line.

• Champion has a line of paper specifically for use in the Indigo press. Phelan says it's the first photographic paper that isn't film-based.

Richard Clapp, director of product development at Fraser Paper, says that the demand for cut-size paper has amplified over the years.

"This paper is being laser printed on demand," he notes. "High-speed production laser printers—both sheet and roll-fed—require paper designed to enhance toner transfer to the paper, hold it in place until fusing takes place and withstand the high temperatures of the fusing process."

Delivery Options

Storing paper has long been a burden for in-plants, many of which don't have a lot of extra space to begin with. As a result, many are now asking vendors to provide just-in-time delivery—storing the paper at the vendor's warehouse and getting it delivered as needed to the print shop.

"It is clear that merchants and printers are requiring increased levels of service regarding the delivery of product," observes Edward G. Spangler, International Paper's marketing manager for merchant office papers. "During the past few years, [we've] established regional distribution centers which provide our customers with next-day delivery on many of our products."

Avenor has a distribution arrangement with Ryder trucks to meet the demands of its customers. But Avenor's Pope stresses that customers and suppliers must share the responsibility of making time-sensitive materials available.

"For manufacturers to better meet the needs of their customers a partnership approach needs to be taken," she says.

Champion's Phelan notes that even though the trend is towards just-in-time, an in-plant manager can save money by stocking up on paper when prices are low. In-house storage is also more convenient. He advises discussing individual solutions with merchants to get the best deal for your shop.

Customer Service

Despite technological advances in paper, service still counts. To determine market trends and end-user needs, manufacturers conduct surveys and focus groups, and also ask merchants what printers are saying. The Internet is also being used.

Sappi Fine Paper has an Idea Exchange Web site (www.warren-idea-exchange.com) that allows customers to order swatches, plain paper samples, promotional pieces and printed pieces from its library for ideas.

Avenor's site (www.avenor.com) lets customers request samples by e-mail, and receive them in 24 hours. But paper is not sold through the Internet. Pope says that purchasing paper is "very tactile and aesthetic. It's difficult for printers to get a feel for the products."

The Champion site (www.championpaper.com) features brief descriptions of its products and lists resellers.

Carbonless Copies

Printing on demand requires carbonless paper to run flawlessly through high speed copiers. But are vendors paying attention? Yes, says Mary Jo Francis, marketing manager at Mead Carbonless Papers.

"We completely redesigned our Transcopy product in 1997 to handle the demand," says Francis. "We changed everything from the carbonless capsule formation and application to the moisture specifications."

Mead tests every run of the grade on an in-house Xerox DocuTech to ensure runnability. Francis says no paper is allowed to be shipped or put into inventory until it passes all testing requirements.