As technology has advanced, we all know that the stocks for digital print jobs are not limited to smooth white paper anymore. This is a good thing, right? More choices equal more ways to assert your creativity and develop a project that’s truly unique. But with so many options, it can be overwhelming to find the perfect match-up of paper and print equipment.
In recent years, Wausau Paper has fielded many questions regarding the compatibility of our papers on certain types of digital equipment. We decided to create a digital reference guide to help answer these questions. A team convened to develop this guide and it quickly became apparent to us that this was much more complicated than we thought it would be. Sort of like the dating scene…
It was not enough to simply list which papers in our line-up were laser, inkjet and copier guaranteed. (Our guarantee covers how the paper will run through the equipment.) What about the quality of the printed image? A few years ago, a customer called to ask why we laser-guaranteed our Astroparche – a very toothy sheet with an old world appearance. Her project, for which she was printing photographs, did not look as good as she expected it to when printed on a color copier. We then realized our guarantee was not specific enough.
This brought us to the concept of print fidelity. How complex is the artwork – a 1-color flyer with line drawings, a 2-color brochure, or a full coverage collateral piece with high-quality images? So, we developed 4 levels of print fidelity to rate the papers.
We weren’t done though. To simply say a paper is laser guaranteed and acceptable for level 3 print fidelity coverage isn’t enough. What works beautifully on a Kodak Nexpress may not perform as well on an office copier or inkjet printer. We needed to determine the print fidelity rating for various types of equipment.
And as long as we were doing this guide, wouldn’t it be nice to list the finish, weights and colors available for each grade, along with its environmental aspects and equipment certifications? A one-stop reference chart.
Phew! After months of debating the parameters for the chart, extensive print testing on stocks in every grade line on a number of pieces of equipment, large to small, and determining the rating for each, we had it. The Wausau Paper Digital Compatibility Chart.
Alas, no rest for the weary. As grade lines expand (or contract), new papers are introduced, our certifications change, or new digital technology comes on the market, we are committed to continuously updating the chart. All to help our customers in the pursuit of true compatibility!