Shining a Light on Lightweight Papers: A Digital Printing Breakthrough, sponsored by Océ, a Canon company

Lexington, Kentucky USA – WhatTheyThink, the printing and publishing industry's leading media organization, today announced the publication of a free educational white paper.  Shining a Light on Lightweight Papers: A Digital Printing Breakthrough, was written by WhatTheyThink Senior Editor Cary Sherburne and sponsored by Océ, a Canon company. The white paper is available as a free download by visiting www.WhatTheyThink.com.

"We've all seen them: Bibles, directories, prospectus documents and other publications printed on paper so thin you can almost see through it," said Sherburne. "And those pharmaceutical inserts that seem to be folded a gazillion times before they are inserted into tiny boxes. These printed products have typically been produced in long runs using conventional offset printing, bucking the trend of shorter runs with more customized content. Why? Because paper that thin simply can't be run through a digital press, especially a sheetfed digital press...until now. Océ highlighted this capability at the recent Graph Expo 2012 show by printing a paperback version of War and Peace in one volume-normally it would have required two."

Sherburne points out that there are many applications that can be transitioned to digital printing using lightweight papers for both sheetfed and web-fed digital presses with reduced costs in a number of areas, not the least of which is shipping.  The white paper highlights several actual customer use cases that explain the value of the combination of digital printing and lightweight papers.

"It was an interesting paper to write," she adds. "It is always educational to speak with innovative print service providers who are taking advantage of the rapid evolution of technology in our industry to create new applications or reinvent older ones."

Download free white paper

About WhatTheyThink

WhatTheyThink is the printing and publishing industry's leading media organization; offering a wide range of publications delivering unbiased, real-time market intelligence, industry news, economic and trend analysis, peer-to-peer communication, and special reports on emerging technology and critical events. Independent studies rank WhatTheyThink as the one industry website that contains the most interesting articles, according to 58.2% of senior printing executives, and the one website most frequently chosen as the "Must Visit and Read." WhatTheyThink also hosts webinars and live events as well as providing content through a syndication program, which delivers content directly to related websites. In addition, WhatTheyThink offers a wide range of lead generation and branding programs that help print- and publishing-related businesses achieve business growth.

About Océ

Océ is one of the leading providers of document management and printing for professionals. The Océ offering includes office printing and copying systems, high speed digital production printers and wide format printing systems for both technical documentation and color display graphics. Océ is also a foremost supplier of document management outsourcing. Many of the Fortune Global 500 companies and leading commercial printers are Océ customers. The company was founded in 1877. With headquarters in Venlo, The Netherlands, Océ is active in over 100 countries and employs more than 20,000 people worldwide. Océ North America is headquartered in Trumbull, CT, with additional business units in Chicago, IL and Boca Raton, FL. For more information visit www.oce.com.

Océ and Canon: Stronger together

In 2010 Océ joined the Canon Group of companies with headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, to create the global leader in the printing industry. Canon develops, manufactures and markets a growing line-up of copying machines, printers, cameras, optical and other products that meet a diverse range of customer needs. The Canon Group comprises over 198,000 employees worldwide. Global net sales in 2011 totaled USD 45.6 billion. Visit the Canon Inc. website at www.canon.com.

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.

Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions. With approximately $45.6 billion in global revenue, its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), ranks third overall in U.S. patents registered in 2011 † and is one of Fortune Magazine's World's Most Admired Companies in 2012. Canon U.S.A. is committed to the highest levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 percent U.S.-based consumer service and support for all of the products it distributes. Canon U.S.A. is dedicated to its Kyosei philosophy of social and environmental responsibility. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company's RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/rss.