Inkjet Insight completed a survey of production inkjet users on paper qualification in November 2019. The goals of the survey were twofold; first, to understand customers’ requirements for print quality measurement when qualifying papers for use on inkjet presses and second, to measure satisfaction with OEM services related to meeting those requirements.
We first queried participants’ understanding of print quality analysis and then requested that they prioritize the data-driven measures that were most important to their business. Participants were also asked to compare their requirements for paper qualification data with what they currently receive from their OEM (or OEMs).
Key Findings
- Only 28 percent of respondents were satisfied with the paper qualification data supplied by OEMs while 52 percent were dissatisfied, and 20 percent were neutral.
- Only 17 percent of survey participants said that their OEMs provided additional paper evaluation data not included in standard paper listings.
- 48 percent stated that they need additional paper qualification data which their OEM did not currently supply.
- Regardless of application focus, 100 percent of respondents said that small text clarity and color gamut were important, with 46 percent and 48 percent respectively saying those measures were very important.
- Optical density and show-through were important to 93 percent of respondents with 59 percent citing show-though as a very important measure.
- Responses covered participants who reported working with a wide range of OEMS including Canon, HP, Kodak, Komori, Ricoh, RISO, Screen, Superweb, and Xerox. Many participants worked with more than one inkjet OEM.
This research paper includes recommendations for owners of production inkjet, and those evaluating equipment, when requesting paper qualification data from OEMs. Recommendations for OEMs on improving communication with customers and supporting data-driven decision making for customers is also provided. It is the perspective of Inkjet Insight, supported by customer research, that there are significant opportunities for improvement in the paper qualification process that can benefit customers, inkjet OEMs, paper mills and print buyers.
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