The new report brought out by the World Printers Forum chapter in India offers publishers a practical guide to migrate to lower grammage newsprint, helping them to make their business sustainable by optimizing printing costs.
This report provides a practical guide to printing using 40 g/m2 newsprint and takes the reader through the various aspects that need to be considered. Detailed analysis of lower grammage newsprint, supported by laboratory findings, provide an understanding of where things could go wrong. Another important element of this report is the detailed evaluation of different TIC (total ink coverage) parameters according to the grammage of the newsprint.
The savings in printing could not only emanate from the cost of newsprint, but also on the savings in ink. ISO 12647-3 recommends TIC 220 for cold-set offset, irrespective of the grammage of newsprint used. However, the studies done for the purposes of this report showed it is feasible to move to lower TIC. This finding was corroborated by the savings recorded by publishers who have moved to a lower TIC. However, it must be noted that it is not a one-size-fits-all solution, and each user must optimize his/her printing infrastructure to achieve the desired results.
The opinions of those who have migrated to 40 g/m2 newsprint support the premises laid out in the report aimed at helping newspaper publishers to save on printing costs and make the newspaper business sustainable for a long time to come.
“Use of lower GSM newsprint has 3%-6% yield benefit, improving productivity and cost. However, the challenges that are added with high speed ops and quality, need gearing up. This guide is the concoction of many success stories in using lower grammage paper designed to help its adoption,” said SC Roy, technical director of Bennett, Coleman and chairman of Wan-Ifra World Printers Forum India Chapter.
The report analyses in detail the benefits of lower grammage newsprint, throws light on mistakes that are likely to occur during the migration and explains how to avoid them. It also gives a detailed evaluation of the different TIC (total ink coverage) parameters as per the grammage of the newsprint.
The analysis is backed by laboratory findings and results of test charts printed at the newspaper presses. Interviews and opinions of publishers who have migrated to 40 gsm newsprint are also included, bolstering the premise laid out in the report.
“This report is a kind of sequel to our earlier report, ‘Implications of changing to lower grammage newsprint’. With the cost pressure on newspaper production accelerated by Covid-19 pandemic, this report provides an easy-to-use ‘DIY’ guide for newspaper printers to actually start migrating to printing using lower grammage newsprint. We believe this report will be a valuable guide for newspaper printers in general and to Wan-Ifra members in particular,” said Magdoom Mohamed, managing director of Wan-Ifra South Asia.
What the report offers to publishers
- Provides answers to the questions that a printer faces before implementing or migrating to printing using lower grammage newsprint.
- Studies and compares the properties of lower grammage newsprint against the standard references to find the deviations and to provide some key recommendations based on the results.
- Helps to understand the challenges of using 40gsm newsprint in day-to-day production.
- Formulates the ideal approach for migration to lower grammage newsprint.
- Makes recommendations for collaborating with suppliers.
Commenting on the report, Ingi Olafsson, director of World Printers Forum, Wan-Ifra said that “it is of great value for the newspaper printers to get this report that will support them in their journey of going from 42 to 40 gsm. Cost cutting is of great importance in our industry and all tools that help us in that respect are a true benefit for Wan-Ifra members.”
The report released at the recent Wan-Ifra Indian Printers Summit, was presented by KN Shanth Kumar, director of The Printers Mysore and member of the supervisory board of Wan-Ifra, and SC Roy, technical director of Bennett, Coleman and chairman of Wan-Ifra World Printers Forum India Chapter.
