Digital Queries: Equipment Trends and Paper Cues
Our Digital Queries blog series features the most-asked questions regarding paper for digital print. By sharing our answers in this blog, we aim to distribute our tips and insights to a broader audience. This week, we’re taking a look at equipment trends and paper cues.
What trends are you seeing in digital equipment?
Most of the advancements in toner-based equipment in the last few years center on higher speed and improved print quality, rather than a radical change in technology. The recent area of focus in digital printing is inkjet as the print quality closes in on toner. Generally, the inkjet equipment is roll-fed. However, manufacturers are working on smaller, less expensive sheet-fed models. To date, the uncoated paper stocks usually must be specially formulated to perform on inkjet.
What constitutes a digital substrate, the size or the finish?
It depends upon which paper mill you ask! A sheet does not need to be in a digital size to perform on digital equipment. Many printers prefer to cut down parent sheets to the exact size they need which gives them more choices and flexibility in paper stocks. The finish is an important factor in printability on digital equipment. Typically, the smoother the surface, the better the print. However, we have seen some amazing results on textured stocks as well, such as Wausau Paper’s Royal Resource® Bark Finish. This sheet features a hard surface without much fine detail in the pattern; therefore toner lays down quite well.
What is the advantage of uncoated paper vs. coated paper for digital applications?
Uncoated papers come in a vast array of colors, sizes, and textures.
With the green movement becoming mainstream, the softer and natural look of uncoated papers has increased in popularity. In addition to white, there are many earth-toned uncoated papers available on the market, including muted browns and greens like bamboo, weathered oak and thyme. If you’re looking for a sheet with a soft tactile finish (vs. the colder, harder surface of a coated sheet), textures such as bark, crepe or felt are the answer. With the expansion of coating options in digital technology, coating on digital press output is becoming more common, thereby eliminating concerns about durability of the printed piece.