ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Digital printing in the book market is growing rapidly as publishers find more opportunities in the areas of short runs, out-of-print books, textbook revisions, and others. Book printers rely on lighter weight matte papers for their applications, and need to know that the paper will perform as expected in the production process.

Kodak has added NewPage TrueJet® Book paper to the PROSPER Paper Rating Program, awarding it a 4 Diamond Rating. This paper joins others on a growing list of commercial print and book media that have been certified as part of the program, giving printers more options.

“This is the second line of NewPage paper we have optimized for the PROSPER Press Platform, and the extension of TrueJet into book printing grades will create new growth opportunities for us,” said Steven J. DeVoe, Vice President of Marketing for NewPage. “TrueJet Book paper is based on our patent-pending TrueJet design, so it offers outstanding dimensional stability and performance for a wide range of book applications. Our TrueJet coated paper delivers offset quality printing while maintaining production inkjet speeds and optimized operating costs.”

The Paper Rating Program relies on the collection and analysis of quantifiable data to determine the performance characteristics of any substrate. Kodak measures the image quality using a wide variety of factors and then identifies that substrate using a rating system that ranges from one diamond to five diamonds. The rating helps customers make smart purchasing decisions.

“With digital book printing forecast by InterQuest to more than quadruple over the next five years, the demand for optimized inkjet paper is certainly on the rise,” noted Don Burns, Kodak’s Business Development Director for Media. “Digital print offers so many advantages—from reduced waste to enhanced efficiency—and the Paper Rating Program gives printers a resource that helps them choose the best media for their applications.”

Developed more than a year ago, the Paper Rating Program was conceived to help printers and publishers make more informed decisions about the right combination of quality and price when evaluating substrates for each of their print jobs. In assessing paper surface capabilities, there are six metrics that can quantify and characterize the image quality expectations for each paper type. These tests are conducted under standardized conditions and results are simplified by Kodak into the five-diamond rating system. Customers will immediately know the image quality potential of a given paper, and with data, can make application-specific decisions based on economics and quality.