By Molly Joss

Designers are taking advantage of the versatility of digital printing more than ever.

The ability to print four-color on shorter print runs, gives them a creative freedom their budget might not have allowed on offset presses. As more digital papers enter the market and more print options become available, there are more variables to consider. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions we receive:

Q. Can I control the paper choices when a job is going to be printed on a digital press?
A. You can choose any paper that the printing company guarantees will work with their digital press for the type of job you want to print. Don’t worry, though -- with digital presses, the selection of possible substrates is larger than ever and the chances are excellent that you will find a paper that you like.

Before the design work begins, talk to the printing company and ask for samples of the papers they recommend. Each digital press manufacturer evaluates and recommends paper selections (coated and uncoated) for their line of equipment. Some printing companies experiment and are willing to guarantee work done on papers they recommend, in addition to the papers the vendors recommend.

As digital printing processes become more popular, digital papers will be available in more colors and finishes. Many mills will introduce a digital sheet based on their existing lines this year. PaperSpecs.com calls out every paper that is suitable for the various digital presses, laser or inkjet printing and makes specking digital papers fast and easy.

Q. I want to use different papers in one job. Is this possible with a digital press?
A. Yes, but before you make your final decision on the number of different papers, check with the printing company that will be doing the job. You need to find out how many different paper stocks the digital press can accommodate during a print run.

The NexPress 2100, for example, can handle up to three different paper selections without additional paper handling or manual paper changes. If you specify a higher number of paper stocks than the equipment can handle automatically, you will be charged extra because manual paper changes will be required.

Q. How about Pantone colors?
A. Most digital presses convert Pantone colors to their CMYK equivalents and print them that way. Some will allow you to specify the conversion formula yourself or allow the press operator to do so. Since Pantone-to-CMYK conversion is also a technique used for offset printing, you may have no problem with the print quality of a converted color.

If you absolutely must have a particular Pantone color, your best bet is the HP Indigo digital press using IndiChrome On-Press and Off-Press color inks, as these are the only Pantone approved digital inks in use on digital presses today.

Q. How can I best proof a job?
A. Concept proofs can be done in the usual way, which often involves a high quality desktop inkjet printer these days. When you are ready for a more precise proof, ask the printing company to proof the job for you on the press they will use to run the actual job. Unlike traditional offset presses, digital presses are designed to print one-of-a-kind jobs, so they can print a few copies for you as contract or final proofs.

Q. What about large areas of color?
A. Digital presses that use toner, such as the Xerox iGen and the NexPress, don’t produce large areas of solid color well; some banding or blending problems can occur during a print run. With digital presses that use ink, such as the HP Indigo, these problems may occur, but chances are lessened on these types of presses.

If the design calls for several square inches or more of solid color, introduce a subtle pattern into the solid color or reduce the amount of color used altogether. When in doubt, before you spend a lot of time and money on a design, talk to the printer and ask them to run samples, so you can see for yourself what works and what doesn’t.

Special thanks to our friends at Nexpress. For more information, visit www.nexpress.com.