No Pulp Fiction
The fact is, rising paper prices need not be budget-busters and quality-killers
JOHN MAGUIRE, director of marketing for Dallas-based Clampitt Paper, (www.clampitt. com), and Laura Shore, senior vice president of communications for Mohawk Paper, Cohose, New York, (www.mohawkpaper.com), acknowledged that higher prices for everything from natural gas to diesel fuel and raw materials costs, and the rate of migration from paper-based forms to digital formats are all impacting paper mill prices. "The shift to higher brightness paper was not handled as efficiently as the mills had promised, either," explained Maguire. "Inventory shortages and longer lead times have also had a significant impact on everyone. Indications suggest 2006 will continue to be a year of incremental increases in paper costs."
Still, focusing solely on paper costs fails to see the forest for the trees when it comes to finished projects, and both contributors urged consumers to place emphasis on selecting the right paper for the job, rather than concentrating on the raw price of paper. "For example, it's been documented that quality paper improves press performance in digital printing for savings that far outweigh higher nominal paper costs," Shore noted. "It's important to look at the total cost of a project rather than just isolating individual cost components."
As Maguire noted, "Quality design work on the appropriate paper, with a properly targeted campaign, yields a more dynamic finished product and superior return on investment for customers. We try to avoid the commoditization of the entire industry."
Shore went on to say that when performance is equal, she recommends reviewing properties such as stiffness, opacity and basis weight. "A higher opacity paper may allow you to go down in basis weight, which will save money," she continued. "To further control costs, larger shops may also want to review their ordering patterns. With today's high shipping costs, it's more economical to invest in higher inventory levels and avoid small repeat orders of frequently specified products."
Take Stock of Paper Quality
Clampitt Paper conducts a paper school, every quarter covering topics including properties and attributes for different grades, paper economics and recycling substitutes, as well as the the best uses for coated, uncoated and specialty papers. "In the early days, classes were typically filled with only printers, but now, we also routinely have designers, graphic artists, commercial photographers and corporate clients attending," Maguire observed.
Rather than simply telling someone what looks good, the idea is to educate consumers about paper's finish, color, weight and brightness in creating the best impression for the type of job being worked on.
"Running color copies on both a coated and uncoated stock is a good way to help consumers
appreciate how a finished piece will look. It's not as accurate as a press proof, but it still gives [consumers] a pretty good idea," he added. "For a brochure picturing rustic furniture, for example, an uncoated stock offers greater texture, warmth and a softer feel that possibly could be more appropriate than coated stocks, which provide more "pop" and crisper images that would work well for a brochure featuring contemporary jewelry."
In some cases, the customer specifies the type of stock to be used. But, there may also be cases where distributors are asked to offer guidelines or suggestions. Maguire suggested taking the time to understand what the project is and perhaps show examples of a similar project on different base stocks.
Shore noted there is so much diversity in printing equipment, job types and paper grades, that it would benefit professionals all along the supply chain to develop relationships with paper reps who can help narrow the field and make specific recommendations. Mohawk offers brands such as Strathmore Writing, Superfine, Mohawk, Options, Navajo and Mohawk Color Copy, just to name a few. Visiting the company's Web site and perusing brand characteristics and usage suggestions provides some insight to the many available options and ways papers can add value.
Shore also commented on the ongoing trend toward digital printing and how it is reshaping the company's product lines. "More than 50 percent of commercial printers are adopting digital production color devices, increasing the demand for papers that run reliably on the equipment. End-customers are also looking for more diversity in paper selection for digital printing," she said. "For example, Mohawk Color Copy is designed to meet the diverse needs of high-resolution production color copiers. Today's Superfine i-Tone and 50/10 i-Tone are coated and uncoated solutions for the HP Indigo presses. Beyond that, Mohawk has a diverse line of premium digital papers designed for the NexPress and the i-Gen3.
"The other big trend we are seeing is the growing demand among corporate end-users for environmentally proven papers," observed Shore. "Mohawk's Windpower Portfolio was developed for buyers who are concerned about climate change, landfills and illegal logging. Some of the nation's largest companies have used papers from the Mohawk Windpower portfolio in annual reports, sustainability reports and marketing communications."
Certainly, paper is best evaluated by sight and touch. Maguire noted visitors to Clampitt Paper's Creative Center can review more than 3,000 papers. "We represent paper manufacturers from around the world," he said. "Our specification reps are available from planning to execution to assist in selecting the proper paper for a project."
By Maggie DeWitt
- People:
- JOHN MAGUIRE
- Laura Shore