Appleton Coated, working jointly with HP, has developed a gloss coated product for use on the HP® Inkjet Web Press family. With the introduction of Utopia® Inkjet Gloss, Appleton Coated leads the industry as the only North American manufacturer with a full line of papers for this digital technology, meeting the needs of early adopters in direct marketing and publishing applications.

Appleton Coated's complete Utopia Inkjet product offering includes: 
* Utopia Book Inkjet matte coated products for book publishing applications;
* Utopia Inkjet Dull and Gloss for publishing, commercial printing and direct mail applications; and
* Utopia Uncoated Inkjet with ColorPRO Technology 

"Appleton Coated's introduction of this gloss product propels high speed inkjet printing into a whole new spectrum, blurring the lines with offset and traditional digital platforms," says Steve Franzino, vice president of technology for Courier Corporation in Chelmsford, Mass. "We have had success with the Utopia Book Inkjet matte product in the educational textbook business, and now, the gloss product opens up an excellent opportunity in the four-color trade book market. Image quality and surface gloss on the Utopia printed sheet are superior to anything else we have seen, and both the wet-rub and dry-rub durability are very good." 

"Utopia Inkjet Gloss is excellent for high-end publishing and direct mail. This paper, along with HPs inkjet technology, will bring digital inkjet printing quality exceptionally close to toner platforms," said Chris Greene, president of CGX Publishing Solutions in Aurora, Colo. "I would expect in the very near future we will look at the relationship between sheet toner and inkjet web the same as we currently look at sheet fed and heat set web offset."

High-volume, digital color printing can increase revenue and reduce cost for printers and their customers. "It provides a cost effective way to produce a high-quality personalized marketing message, increasing return on our clients' advertising spend," said Greene. 

"For our publishing customers," Franzino added, "digital inkjet printing at equivalent offset quality allows them to strategically manage the life-cycle of a title, minimizing risk by choosing the appropriate printing platform for each stage -- inkjet in the early and mature stages and offset when volumes are larger."

All Utopia Inkjet products are formulated for optimal performance on the HP Inkjet Web Press family. These products also are compatible with other high-speed inkjet web platforms, including the KODAK PROSPER™ Press. Utopia Inkjet products are available in the most popular basis weights for direct mail and publishing applications. 

xpedx is the exclusive distributor of Utopia Inkjet papers for commercial printing applications. Bulkley Dunton is the exclusive distributor of Utopia Inkjet papers for all publishing applications. 

For more information on Appleton Coated's Utopia Inkjet papers, please visit appletoncoated.com.