While there are certainly many benefits to using production inkjet printing, what’s often overlooked is paper’s key role in bringing these advantages to full fruition. This lack of understanding often leads to production issues and lackluster results that do not meet expectations.  In fact, paper compatibility was cited as the top challenge when deploying inkjet production in a recent NAPCO report sponsored by SGIA. To prevent delays and disappointments, selecting the right paper for your project, priority and budget is critical. To illustrate why, we’ve compiled a list of the top reasons choosing the right paper is critical in inkjet printing:

1. Paper Can Affect the Production Speed of Your Print Job – Some of today’s continuous feed inkjet presses have the ability to run more than 5,000 pages per minute. Of course, it’s important to remember that a print job can only be completed at these sorts of speeds if all goes well and all the elements in the process are performing in an optimal fashion.

No matter what type of print you specialize in, there’s more to consider in any production inkjet printing job than the press. Choosing the right paper will help you avoid unexpected delays during either the printing or finishing process, so select a paper that is specifically engineered to work with high-speed inkjet technology and built to be strong enough to withstand the rigors of post-processing.

2. Consistent Paper = Consistent Results – With production inkjet printing, color output is consistent from the beginning of the run to the end. It’s even consistent from run to run when you reprint. This aspect can be particularly important for large corporate customers that have strict graphic standards for their brand, and demand a specific color for the branded elements featured in their transactional materials.

But truthfully, the consistency of a print job involves more than the press— choosing the right paper plays a key role in the consistency of the printed piece. Unfortunately, not all paper mills have high standards of consistency, even within the same brand. This can lead to an inconsistent final product, no matter what equipment you use.

Domtar is committed to being a go-to resource for our customers and making a consistent product that can be relied on from run to run. If your client has strict graphic standards for their logo or other branding elements, our LynxJET® (for pigment inks) and LynxJET Dye® (for dye inks) have built reputations as go-to papers when consistency and vivid color are a top priority.

3. Paper plays a Role in Image Quality and Color of the Printed Piece – While Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) are constantly improving their printing technologies and inks to achieve the vivid color and crisp imagery demanded by the market, we are working alongside them to ensure our papers perform flawlessly and deliver outstanding results.

All of the brands featured in Domtar’s Collection of Inkjet Papers for Transactional and Direct Mail Printing are specifically engineered to work with the latest innovations in inkjet equipment and ink technologies. Additionally, our service platform is dedicated to making sure you have the paper you need when you need it.

4. Paper Can Help Your Customer Stand Out – One of the big advantages of inkjet is the ability to use variable data in large quantities. And as every printer can tell you, variable data has moved way beyond “insert your name here.” If you have the correct data to work with, you can use variable imaging in attention-getting ways, such as sending out a direct mail piece featuring an image of an item a customer left in their cart, but didn’t purchase, on the website. Or adding a trans-promotional image featuring an offer similar to regular purchases made by an individual.

Considering that printed campaigns that utilize variable data have an average ROI of 6% (versus a 2% return on a non-personalized piece), it’s shocking that many marketers do not realize that this technology exists! If you’re the printer that’s the first to share this sort of technology with a customer, it’s easy to imagine how you can move from being “just a vendor” to a strategic partner.

Want another way to help your client capture their audience’s attention? Suggest they try LynxJET® Premium Card for their next direct mail or trans-promotional campaign. This product produces vivid color and sharp imagery along with high stiffness and pleasing tactile feel that can’t be ignored.

Built to Perform. Designed to Deliver.

With their reliable performance and crisp, vibrant reproduction across dye and pigment formats, The Domtar Collection of Inkjet Papers delivers a powerful statement every time. Available in a range of basis weights, calipers and finishes, these six trusted brands offer excellent performance both on press and in post-processing in production inkjet printing.