Breaking Up Is Hard to Do - Mary Schilling

By Mary Schilling

Like any good relationship, the time each person takes to truly learn about the other individual creates a bonded trust. The time and the effort we put into relationships allow each person to learn and grow. When someone is in a good relationship, it shows.

But if the relationship is one-sided, and proper time and effort are not applied to allow growth, it is time to part ways and find a new suitable partner.

Purchasing inkjet paper is no different.

Regardless if you buy directly from the mill or from a merchant, your supplier should understand your business and know what makes it successful. Your paper vendor is contributing a key component to the success of your inkjet business—paper is the medium that directly makes a statement to everyone who sees it. It is the one and only item that speaks of a printer’s creativity and quality.

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For a successful paper relationship, the supplier should understand your inkjet process and the ink-to-paper compatibility, as well as how you use the paper. The amount of ink applied, paper thickness, surface type and post-processing needed creates a successful print run. Understanding your partner is the biggest part of any relationship.

Also important to the relationship is supplying quality product free of defects so you can print successfully. Paper should have minimal dirt specs, good formation, minimum splices, and no color shift, crushed cores, telescoping or baggy rolls. You shouldn’t have to change your process to adapt to the paper’s quality.

Your paper supplier should be a vital part of the relationship. If it doesn’t supply the necessary knowledge or helpfulness to the relationship, it may be time to make a change to a more suitable mate who understands your needs and ambitions.

Relationships are hard and each party must make an effort to ensure its success.

“Even a broken heart doesn't warrant a waste of good paper.”
—Dodie Smith, I Capture the Castle

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Mary Schilling Author's page Mary Schilling works with all the elements of the digital process-from conventional and inkjet technologies to fluids and substrates-and provides technical support to print providers on optimizing print quality while lowering total print cost. Understanding the dynamics of the digital marketplace, and the incredible growth and advancements in inkjet technology, Mary provides customers with print quality, color gamut, fluid consumption, machine and print quality analysis, utilizing G7 methodology. She also works with inkjet fluid and machine developers to align paper development of new, innovative inkjet substrates. As the owner of Schilling Inkjet Consulting, she consults with fluid and inkjet machinery suppliers and end users on how to improve color and print quality for paper, plastics, metal, fabric and glass with UV, solvent and aqueous inkjet fluids. Mary received Innovator of the Year awards from the Flexographic Technical Association and from Xplor International for her efforts in closing the gap between document printing and digital packaging. She is G7 certified and a member of the IDEAlliance Print Properties Committee.