Why choosing the right paper for colour printing matters

Factor 1: Humans are visual creatures

90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual, and visuals are processed 60,000 times faster in the brain than text¹. So, when we’re looking to communicate important information, we’re going to have more success if we include coloured visuals². For example, research has also shown that presentations that include images are 43% more persuasive than those that don’t³.

These days, as digital now tends to be the default – we send emails rather than letters and deliver presentations on a screen, and rarely with a printed hand-out – we’ve grown accustomed to seeing high quality images in full technicolour. But before you go and add more colour to your digital communications, another field of research points to the benefits of paper over digital.

Factor 2: The benefits of paper communications over digital

In 2018, researchers in Israel and Spain analysed the results of 54 separate studies that compared reading from digital text with reading from text printed on paper. They found that amongst the more than 170,000 readers involved in the studies, those who read printed versions of texts had better rates of comprehension than those who read them on screen⁴.

Further research⁵ has discovered that this can be attributed in part to the difference in speed with which we read text online compared with a printed document. Much of the text we read online is social, requiring little by way of concentration; however, tests have revealed that we tend to scan more complex digital texts in much the same way as we might read a message on social media, resulting in poorer understanding of the content compared to when we read a printed document. 

Now we’ve established that coloured visuals help engagement, and reading printed rather than digital documents improves comprehension, the next step is to decide what to print and how. 

Factor 3 : Not all papers will produce the same results

Improvements in digital print technology mean that it is now possible to produce high quality printed documents using an office or professional production digital printer. We know that using coloured visuals will help your proposals, presentation hand-outs, leaflets and so on, to create impact. The key to creating the right impact, however, is the choice of paper used.

If you pick up a magazine, a newspaper or a menu, you will know that paper comes in many weights, sizes and finishes – and that includes office paper, albeit office paper sizes are generally restricted to A4 and A3 for compatibility with the types of printer typically found in offices.

While an everyday office paper with a weight of, for example, 75 or 80gsm, is good for printing mono text, which usually results in total coverage on only three to four per cent of the paper, it may produce disappointing results when printing full coloured images where up to 95% of the paper’s surface will be covered in ink or toner. When printing coloured visuals on a paper that hasn’t been optimised for colour printing, poor colour resolution or image quality can result – nothing like a highly saturated digital image – and any roughness in the surface of the paper will be revealed.

To achieve coloured images that look as good on paper as they do on screen, it’s important to use a paper that’s surface has been engineered specifically for colour printing. This often means a heavier weight paper, such as 100gsm or above, with a smooth, silky (highly calendered) surface, and ideally one that has ColorLok® Technology – look out for the ColorLok®  logo on the packaging. ColorLok® Technology involves an additive being incorporated into the paper during the paper-making process that ensures coloured ink pigments are ‘locked’ at the paper’s surface; as well as resulting in inks drying faster, it also produces much richer colours on both inkjet and dry toner digital devices. 

Papers such as Xerox Colotech, Image DigiColor and Image Impact Plus all have ColorLok® Technology and will all produce superior quality results when colour printing. Available exclusively from Antalis, these products are also part of the Antalis&more rewards scheme through which points are awarded depending upon the volume or value of products bought. Points can be collected and exchanged for a variety of rewards, including branded gifts and higher value items such as luxury hampers, televisions and laptops.
 

Can paper with high ink coverage be recycled?

Sustainability should be an important consideration in any purchase, thinking about where and how a product has been produced to how it can be recycled or disposed of at end of life.

Paper is one of the most recycled – and easily recyclable – products in the world. Look for products that carry environmental certifications, such as FSC and EU Ecolabel, which are confirmation that the product has been sustainably and ethically sourced and manufactured. 

When it comes to recycling, office paper is probably one of the easiest products to manage, even when it has high ink coverage. Another advantage of ColorLok® Technology is that it makes it easier to de-ink paper during the recycling process. So, when you no longer need a copy of that winning proposal you produced with lots of engaging, coloured images, printed on paper with ColorLok® Technology, you can simply put it into the paper recycling bin. 

For more information or advice about choosing the right paper for your colour printing contact us below.