Almost all paper is made from either wood pulp, cotton, or a combination of the two. It’s not the base that is the significant factor in the wide variety of paper on the market. The processing at the paper mills makes all of the difference. Developing a new product line is a monumental task. Decisions have to be made at the very beginning. For example, before sheet one is produced, marketing must be considered. Who will buy this paper? Will this new line increase total sales or erode sales from another paper in our product line? How much will it cost to make it, including possible new tooling? How do we position this paper in the marketplace? What will we emphasize most, price, uniqueness, printability, or quality?

Why should the paper making issues  make any difference to you as a consumer? If you were to see the figures the printer has to consider in estimating  a printing bid, you would note that the cost of paper is routinely 30-60% of the cost. The bigger the job the greater the percentage of paper cost. Why is it so much? In addition to all the R&D, the short answer is that it takes a big expensive facility to manufacture paper in the volumes needed to supply the needs. Just how expensive? The cost of building a new mill today is well over a billion dollars. To give you an idea of how much real estate is needed for a typical mill here is a photo of  the Blue Heron Paper Mill in Oregon, USA.

Blue Heron Paper Mill

Paper mills have been subjected to the same pressures we all experience in this business climate. Their manufacturing costs have increased dramatically, in part because of  raw materials. Environmental laws have made harvesting of trees more expensive, and mills have been forced to comply with demanding clean air and water regulations. Regulations which have forced retrofitting the plants with new equipment to meet EPA standards. Some mills, unable to afford the retrofits have shut down. Mills in United States face world wide competition that keeps the sell prices low even in the face of these higher costs. So the paper mills are squeezed.

Again, why should this matter? It matters to all of us because we have enjoyed a golden age of amazing paper options. If new mills are unable to be built, and older mills close up shop, the availability will decrease. In steps that old law of supply and demand, with decreased supply, a steady demand will force the costs up. The final buyer of printing will see their printing bills increasing, and more companies will  consider options other than printing. When companies slow orders of printed materials, printers will suffer. With a drop off of paper orders, more mills will close. It’s the proverbial vicious cycle. I don’t know about you, but I’m not quite ready to see printing become a quaint curiosity is some dusty museum. There is still something  to be said about the feel and permanence of a printed piece that just can’t be duplicated with electronic blips on a computer monitor.

More to the Story

In my blog of February 17,  I reviewed various paper coatings. Did you think that was the end of  the story? Oh no, my friend. Coating is only the beginning we haven’t even touched paper finishes, nor have we discussed color, brightness, and construction.

Pretty  + Pretty = Disaster

What does it matter? I’ll tell you why it matters because selecting the right paper can make or break a job. For example a few years ago a new paper was introduced with a fascinating pattern called, I believe, snowflake. It was a dazzling white and the designers fell in love with it. I couldn’t blame them, it was as pretty as a new sports car. Used correctly this paper would have made any project look terrific, but we all found out the hard way that pretty paper doesn’t guarantee a pretty result.

Albino Alligator Shoes

The graphic designer’s customer was a company importing a line of spa and skin care products. The models they used in their advertising were young with flawless skin, and extraordinary features–the perfect examples of feminine beauty. The cover photo for the brochure was  one of these incredible models relaxing in a tub of deep-aqua colored water. The blue was made by the product they were selling, and it had the added advantage of masking, shall we say, the more sensitive spots? The problem? Hooboy! The paper finish had definite highs and lows. Ink tended to puddle in the lows. The effect was that the model’s skin looked like a pair of albino alligator shoes. Needless to say, it wasn’t the look  they were going for (see picture above).

Beautiful expensive paper, incredible photography, and state of the art printing equipment couldn’t save it, couldn’t put Humpty-Dumpty together again. Alligator skin was 180 degrees off the mark, and because it was a brand new paper it was a crap shoot. We didn’t know what would happen on press. We found out. The bottom line, all of the expensive paper was dumped and the job was printed on a nice but less costly coated sheet. You can see the difference in the photos of the printed pieces.

What’s New

The world of paper choices is endless. Every year, it seems, the mills work overtime to come up with the next  new wonder. They even tweak their old standbys by adding new colors, obsoleting others, or modifying the surfaces to fit special needs.

International Paper

I looked up the web site of International Paper, because they supply most of the printers in this area, and to make sure I got everything covered. You too can look them up on their website:  http://www.internationalpaper.com

International’s descriptions proved adequate for people in the biz, but sometimes a little vague for the uninitiated. For example, their definition for laid paper is paper with a laid finish. That works for me because I know what a laid finish is, but does it help the rest of you? I didn’t think so.

In a future blog I’ll list the various finishes and add my own descriptions to make them more understandable.  In the meantime you can check in with International if you have questions, call your local paper merchant, or get in touch with me www.billrueschprintbrokers.com