Digital BW, The Print

Perhaps I can shed some light on this topic. The cost of inkjet coated papers can be 
broken down in to several key areas. 1. base 2. coating 3. converting/waste 4. packaging.

1. Bases vary widely in price due to the materials and processes used to make them. For 
example a machine made RC base is extremely inexpensive. The price can fluctuate based 
on the price of oil. Alpha-cellulose bases can vary in cost by up to 100% due to the 
varying qualities and weights. Cotton bases can vary wildly due to the differences in 
machinemade vs mouldmade and the quality of both the cotton and weight or amount 
used. But in general, the base is a relatively low cost when compared to the coating.

2. Coatings are by far the most expensive part of the process and can vary in cost by 
process and application. RC papers are relatively easy to coat because not only is the base 
uniform (no natural variation) but the process can all be done in line in one step and at 
neck breaking speeds. The most expensive product to coat are the fiber gloss type papers. 
Not only are the bases non-uniform because of natural variations, the papers require 3 
separate coatings which means 3 passes through the coating machine which is by far the 
most expensive part of the process. The passes are also done at lower speeds which 
equates to even more time on the machine. The coatings themselves are not nearly as 
expensive as the machine time and expense.

3. Converting and waste play a large roll in the cost of products. If you compare the 
cost/sq inch of most 13x19 papers vs 8.5x11 you'll notice that they are much more 
expense because 13x19 results in more waste. Also, different papers are more sensitive 
and thus incur different wastage due to the handling in the process. Unfortunately the 
fiber gloss papers are one of the hardest to convert.

4. Packaging costs are fairly fixed and don't play in to the pricing differentials.

Now, taking all the above in to consideration, an interesting side note. The fiber based 
products we produce are also the lowest margin products in our range. So while the price 
of this product is high, we unfortunately make much less on it than some of our other 
ranges. But sometimes having the right paper especially for exhibition purposes is the 
deciding factor as is the case with our fiber based products. If we could produce it for less 
we would love to as this would mean an overall decrease in the cost and price for 
everyone.

The final consideration is the size and volume of a market. RC papers make up the bulk of 
the consumer market and there is a lot to be said about the efficiencies of scale. Fiber 
based products are and will most likely always be a very small niche market futher 
complicating the pricing.

Hope that helps shed some light on the pricing of paper.

Sincerely,

Gregory Schern
'Mr Moab'

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "brouwerkent" <philip@...> 
wrote:
>
> I have been testing/experimenting with Ink Jet papers for
> somewhile....as Clayton coined..."the Paper Chase"  In general, matte
> papers and the typical RC Ilford Pearl type papers seem to follow a
> general pattern and stay more or less in a price range that seems
> appropriate to cotton papers or RC mass produced papers.  I fully
> appreciate the expense of cotton as a fibre base...so gladly accept
> the higher price.  And the RC papers are remarkably good in
> general...with the exception of the Mass Market kind of a plasticy
> finish....but hey, what do you expect for a cheap paper???
> 
> I am confused about the F Type papers.  The coating and results are
> not all that different than RC papers..and most of them are Alpha
> Cellulose.  Yea, sure they are better than RC...but are they really
> worth the significantly extra expense???
> 
>   This question came up again because I recently bought a test pack of
> Legion/Moab which includes their "new" Colorado fiber.  I am appalled
> how expensive this sheet is in relation to the cheap feel and the
> apparent low quality control.  Light, curls like a SOB, and it has all
> sorts of surface coating flaws.  I have looked at em all, and frankly
> think the Innova F type are quite good...but  expensive IMHO for an
> alpha cellulose base. 
> 
> Soooo...my question is...why is this stuff so expensive???  Might as
> well be using precious metals?  I used to pay less and think I still
> could pay less for Gelatin Silver. Of course, I understand the waste
> and chemical expense with Gelative Silver...but I just cannot
> understand why these so called Gelatin Silver look alikes are so
> overpriced for such a low cost base.
> 
> I perceive this F type overpricing as just a market ploy.  Am I incorrect?
> 
> By the way,in testing the Legion test pack... I did find that the
> Lasal Lustre is a lovely, less plastic looking paper...candidly it
> tests much better than their so called top of the line Colorado...and
> it lays flat as a pancake.  Similar Dmax, better hand, similar color.
>  Does anyone else have experience with Lasal RC papers.  Kind of weird
> when you look at em close...translucent...but the prints are quite lovely.
> 
> My wish is for a great general purpose alpha cellulose Ftype paper ,
> similar consistency of RC type papers with a less mechanical look, and
> one that is realistically priced in relation to the true costs of
> making alpha cellulose base ( this should be relatively cheap...should
> be lower than cotton, right???)...and a paper that is flat after
> printing...hey is this tooo much to ask????
> 
> Thanks for your impressions!
> 
> 
> 
> Phil
>