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Last month, we noted the trend toward brighter
paper and looked at various paper properties. We learned what increased
brightness means.
Now, we ll see how it affects us all and may even
save us some money.
That depends on
your ultimate purpose. When two sheets of blank paper are compared side
by side, the brighter sheet invariably will appear superior.
Try reading War and Peace from a book printed on the
brighter sheet. The superior brightness may leave you with eyestrain
and a severe migraine headache.
Long
books, meant to be read cover to cover, fare better on a more natural
off-white shade of paper. Technical manuals and reference books work
well on high-brightness paper.
Tables, graphs and diagrams benefit from the
increased contrast, particularly if documentation is used in places
with less than optimal lighting.
As we have stated, brightness and whiteness are not
the same. It is a paper's ability to reflect light that determines
brightness; whiteness is the neutrality of a paper's shade.
Whiteness
also affects readability. The lower the whiteness, the more it will
shift toward either a blue or yellow caste.
This is not unlike the difference between fluorescent
and incandescent lighting. Yellowish shades are better for long
reading, bluish for quick reference reviews.
This is true for black-on-white text and graphics.
For color printing, the most neutral white shade possible permits the
most accurate color reproduction.
Premium
uncoated book (offset) papers have been steadily increasing their
brightness ratings for some time. These papers command top dollar, and
in the past there have been few options for price-conscious print
buyers who need to maintain whitenes whiteness and opacity.
This is changing. As paper mills continue to ratchet
up the brightness of their top grades without raising prices, a strange
but predictable thing has happened. Many midgrade sheets now sport the
brightness levels that their more expensive siblings had just a few
years ago.
We used Weyerhaeuser's Cougar Opaque as an example of a premium #1 grade opaque paper last month. Weyerhaeuser markets this paper heavily, and it commands a premium price. Cougar's brightness has been repeatedly increased and now stands at a blind blinding 98 brightness rating.
Weyerhaeuser's
next grade down (still a #1 opaque sheet) is Lynx Opaque, with a
brightness rating of 96. Strategically priced as a cheaper alternative
to Cougar, Lynx sports an opacity rating of 941/2 @ 60#, the same as
its big brother Cougar.
Although there are minor surface smoothness
differences, Lynx is now essentially the same paper that Cougar was a
year or two ago. Plainly stated, if Cougar's quality was right for you
last year, Lynx will work for you this year, and at a significant price
break.
Once you've decided to examine alternative brands and
grades, you can find even greater savings with new offerings from other
paper mills.
You
may not be "in" to paper enough to spend time doing the research, but
we'll bet you are "in" to cost savings. Copresco has already done the
legwork for you.
If you are presently using premium papers for your
books and manuals, let us offer recommendations for cost saving without
compromising quality.
If you're still using lower grade commodity papers,
now may be the time to reconsider upgrading your look. You may be
surprised at how little the extra quality costs.
Copresco will be closed on Monday, May 29 in honor of Memorial Day.
Weyerhaeuser has spent
a small fortune on glitzy websites promoting paper.
Once you get beyond the flashy introductions, you'll find much detail
http://www.cougaropaque.com
For a BookTech article on brighter paper (free registration
required):
http://www.booktechmag.com/btm_premium/286131796892700.bsp
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