October 15 2007 -- Cohoes, NY - Mohawk Fine Papers continues to offer the broadest portfolio of papers in the industry for exceptional digital press performance, offering reliable and exceptional results across all printing platforms.  And a new Digital Guide from Mohawk enables printers, designers and other specifiers to instantly see the full range of Mohawk's 300+ papers optimized to provide offset-quality across all printing platforms.
The Digital Guide features an at-a-glance reference that highlights which papers are recommended for optimal digital color on the most popular digital presses from HP, Xerox, Canon, Kodak, Ricoh, Konica-Minolta and Xeikon.  With the ease of finding the right paper for the right equipment, it's now easy to specify a single 'universal' paper optimized for all. 
The need for this type of tool has been driven by the expanding range of digital color applications demanding exceptional press performance.  From fine art prints to personal photo books, personalized mailings, reports and letterhead, customers want more choice and variety in digital printing.  Mohawk offers a full range of super-smooth papers, watermarked writing papers, and textured papers - once hard to find for digital printing.  New applications also means new sizes: Mohawk offers more standard roll and sheet sizes for digital than any domestic paper manufacturer.
"As we predicted early on, digital printing is not a commodity business," says Chris Harrold, Vice President, Market Development.  "Printers want to offer their customers a wider range of sizes, colors, weights, and cross platform stocks.  Mohawk's digital papers actually improve the performance of digital printing, you can instantly upgrade any digitally printed job by specifying Mohawk," says Harrold.
Harrold said that the evolution of Mohawk's digital papers correlates with the growth of digital color papers.  "Digital color was introduced almost a decade ago.  Digital presses were not always reliable; ink and toner didn't always stick to the paper; and the cost of consumables was so high that many did not initially embrace the new technology.  Today, we are past the 'pain' of technical innovation and into a new generation of digital color.  Digital presses are have become much more robust and reliable, while the cost of entry has come down allowing printers of all types to get in the game."
According to Harrold, comparative cost per page estimates by Mohawk reveal an ordinary project printed on 20 lb. bond can be transformed into something special for as little as a half a cent more per page simply by upgrading to papers optimized for digital printing.
A May 2007 survey of North American printers, published in TAPPI's Paper360°, lends credence to Mohawk's digital papers strategy.  "Today's digital print providers are most interested in an extended product range with more sizes, finishes, and basis weights available for their digital presses," said Mary Anne Evans, formerly of the Rochester Institute of Technology.  Evans recently conducted a survey among North American printers to find out why, and how, printers choose certain types and brands of digital printing papers.  "This study demonstrated the need for papers which are optimized to provide offset quality results across all printing platforms, or 'papers for the ways printers print'.  A universal paper is an economic solution in print shops where several print technologies are functioning," she said. 
In the same survey, respondents indicated that reliability and print quality are the two key factors in the purchase decision of digital printing papers.  The actual price of digital paper is less an issue than is the ability to get uniform products consistently produced to high specifications.  "In many cases for digital printers, the economic viability of a print job depends on the quality of the substrate.  Poor runnability and low image quality can often differentiate between profit and loss in an industry with tight profit margins," said Evans.
Mohawk's digital papers are also the right environmental choice.  The electricity used to manufacture all Mohawk papers is offset by renewable, non-polluting windpower.  The papers are also Green-e certified.  Many digital products carry important third-party certifications from the Forest Stewardship Council and Green Seal.  A new range of digital items are also made carbon neutral within Mohawk's production processes and are highlighted in this new guide.