Inside the Digital Paper Labs at Xerox and HP

They also heavily research competitor's products to make sure they'll work with their printers and presses. "It's the kiss of death if your machine [hardware] only works with [the house brand or] certain papers," Forrest says.

This is especially relevant in corporate and in-plant publishing markets, he says, where buyers won't consider a device unless it works with a wide variety of paper brands. The flip side: on-demand publishers and printers want to keep costs down and supplier options open as well, but the quality of the digital papers they use is paramount.

And that's why scientists at Xerox, HP, Eastern, and other innovative mills will continue their efforts to deliver digital papers that outperform the competition.

- William Terdoslavich