The overwhelming popularity of digital photography among graphics professionals as well as consumers has created a booming market space for digital color printing of specialty photo products, which include just about any alternative to a standard, 4-by-6-inch, one-sided print on photographic paper.

Creating photo books, greeting cards, photo magnets, calendars, posters and various novelty items are increasingly a part of the graphic designer's arsenal for developing effective direct mail campaigns, promotional materials and even corporate identities.

According to the Photo Marketing Association, spending on these specialty applications grew 11.2 percent in 2006 compared to 2005.

InfoTrends projects the North American market for these products will grow at an impressive compound annual growth rate of 24.5 percent through 2010, surpassing $800 million in revenue for the providers that produce them.

While photo cards and specialty prints, such as enlargements, framed photos and collages, are currently the most popular specialty items, InfoTrends  suggests the applications with the greatest growth potential are photo books and calendars.

However, it's important to keep in mind that what is printed on is just as important as what it is printed with, so designers and print specifiers must give careful consideration to the type of substrates that can be used.

The wide range of media available for digital printing - from general photo paper to translucent to synthetic to iron-on transfers and polyester film - can be used to create unique, attention-grabbing, revenue-generating jobs that help differentiate a client's product and image.

The right substrates also help avoid poor print resolution and pixilation, dull images and inaccurate hues and tones.

There are several important factors to consider when selecting the right substrate for specialty photo products. Below are a few tips to guide you through the process.

Successful Selections

Purpose
Determine the purpose of the photo project - announce the birth of a new baby, help seal a business deal, commemorate an important occasion, etc. - and what type of photo applications are most suitable to serve the purpose.

For instance, Xerox Digital Color Greeting Cards are a great way to celebrate and share personal announcements such as the birth of a child or a wedding and Xerox Digital Color Premium Business Cards and DocuMagnets help potential clients with recall and serve as reminders for placing orders.

Archivability
People want photos that last for a lifetime. The aging - discoloration and loss of strength - of substrates varies greatly depending on the pulping and production process used to create the paper, the type of material it is made of and the coating it has, the acidity of the ink, the lignin content of the substrate and the conditions in which the substrate is stored.

Modern substrates for digital printing can maintain their color for approximately 100 years or more if they are acid-, lignin- and optical brightening agent- free.

Xerox recommends referring to the manufacturer specifications of each media for accurate archival information and selecting the substrate that will most effectively suit the application being developed.

Weight and Thickness
Paper weight, measured in pounds or grams per square inch (gsm), indicates the density of a paper. For instance, traditional business paper found in an office is usually a 20 to 24 lb. bond, while photo paper used for prints is generally a heavier stock of 45 to 75 lb. bond.

The thickness, or caliper, of a paper is measured in mils and is important because it indicates the stiffness of the paper, which affects how it is handled by the printer and how well it will resist tears, cracks and creases.

Xerox's Photo Paper and Universal Photo Paper offer standard weights and calipers while Xerox Polyester Paper - a tear-, water- and chemical-resistant synthetic paper - offers a stronger alternative for tough applications that will see heavy use.

Finish
The finish of a paper determines its smoothness or glossiness. There are three basic options available: glossy, semi-glossy and matte. Xerox Digital Color Supreme Gloss, for instance, gives photo applications the smooth and shiny appearance synonymous with traditional photo-lab prints.

Matte finishes, such as that offered by Xerox Graphic Xpressions True White, feature a nonreflective coating that adds texture to a photograph for more vivid photos and great skin-tone reproduction, making them more popular with professional photographers.

The glossiness of semi-gloss finishes fall between glossy and matte levels and are great for printing photographs that will be framed or projects that feature a lot of landscape shots. Xerox offers Digital Color Elite Silk paper, a low-gloss coated paper that offers superior image quality, to fill the gap between glossy and matte offerings.

For specialty photo products such as stickers, greeting cards, invitations and calendars, matte and semi-gloss finishes tend to be the most widely used.

Opacity
Opacity is a measurement used to describe how well the paper will block the ink on one side from showing through on the other and is ranked on a scale of one though 100, with 100 being the most opaque or see-through resistant.

For most photo applications, a paper with a high opacity is necessary to prevent areas of solid color or halftones from being visible on opposite sides of the sheet.

Xerox Digital Laser Opaque offers a high opacity, which is especially important for photo applications that will use duplex (double-sided) printing, such as photo books, brochures and calendars.

Many creative designers, print providers and photographers are choosing to integrate less opaque substrates, such as Xerox's Translucent Bond Cream that provides a look similar to vellum, into jobs to give them an artistic touch and make them more eye-catching.

Xerox paper and specialty media deliver quality, versatility and reliability for the most creative and complex photo applications, helping graphic designers to expand their options in an ever-competitive market.

More information on Xerox Supplies is available at www.xerox.com/supplies.

Photo Credits
Photo 1 - These three yearbook covers and the inside page on the upper right were printed by Barksdale School Portraits on its Xerox iGen3 110 Digital Production Press.  In-house production gives Barksdale more control, enabling the business to grow.

Photo 2 - Harold's Photo Centers, Inc. produces greeting cards year round on its Xerox xerographic digital printers for occasions such as births, weddings, holidays  and graduations - and for simply saying, "Thank you." 

Photo 3 - Barksdale School Portraits produces calendar desk blotters in two sizes - 14.33"X20.5" and 12"X16" - on its Xerox iGen3 110 Digital Production Press.