Print quality The characteristics of the printed characters on a printout that make them acceptable for their application. These characteristics include degree of conformity with the intended shapes of the characters, uniformity of limb width, uniformity of print density, contrast with the paper, amount of smudging, accuracy of location of the characters compared with their intended positions on the paper, and amount of extraneous ink (or toner in an electrophotographic printer). The print quality depends on the type of printer, its age, cleanliness, and condition, the type and amount of previous use of the ribbon (on impact printers), and the characteristics of the stationery. The presence of streaks or bands of missing print is usually an indication of the need to replace ink or toner or the need to clean the print mechanism.

The basic print quality requirement is that all characters must be legible out of context. In the most demanding application, the printed page must have all characters accurately and completely printed with uniform density and high contrast, and no visible flaws. Print quality close to this is known as letter (or correspondence) quality; it is intended to match the quality attainable with a good typewriter. In general, slower impact printers produce higher-quality print but the highest quality is available from laser printers and inkjet printers.

Some printouts are intended for data capture via OCR equipment; examples are debit and payment slips and cheques. These must conform to the standards specifying font shape (e.g. OCR B) and with the minimum print-quality standards specified for OCR. These are international standards.

Printing has become a lot more accessible to the general public in recent years, with printing even possible directly from some modern smartphones. While home printing may be adequate for personal use, it is a different ball game for people using printing services to market their business. Businesses will always be in need of quality printing products, as well as the expertise and advice that they can expect with doing business with a professional print company.

It has been suggested that the way tickets or invitations look might very well play a part in whether or not a person buys them. A unique and dramatic looking invitation will get the attention of those who receive them. This is especially important if it is an invitation for a charity fundraiser. Attractive printing products always grab attention, which bodes well for a company, and this is particularly the case with business publications and business cards. Cards printed on quality paper make a good first impression on those who receive them, whereas self-printed cards can often look cheap and unprofessional, and make people wonder about the quality of the products and services they will receive from the company.

A quality printed flyer will also help to attract more customers, and a professional printing company can advise on every aspect of the flyers, including design, type face, illustrations, color of type, type of paper best used, and even the color of the paper. A business will not get the same type of professional advice by looking at various websites for information.

Does Paper Affect Print Quality?

The answer to the question, “Does paper quality affect printing” is yes. Paper does indeed affect print quality since all paper is not created equal; and that’s a good thing!

The chemistry inherent on the surface of paper has a direct affect on the paper’s printability, its gloss, and its waterproofing qualities.

If you’ve ever tried to use the specific paper recommended for most laser and inkjet printers you might have noticed a considerable difference in the color output, specifically the clarity.

Lower Quality Paper

With lower quality paper, you may notice the ink starting to creep into spider-web-like veins away from the text or photograph being printed. This is a sure indication that you are using the wrong paper for the printer. There are certain papers that can be printed upon whether using an offset printer or a digital laser or a high resolution inkjet printer, but the quality of the output may be less than satisfactory for any given type of printer. The level of quality required will depend on the specific project and the intended audience for that project.

Bond Paper

With bond paper, the cotton fibers can successfully be used in monochrome laser printers. However, paper with ribbed, linen, eggshell, or tweed features might produce less than desirable results from the same digital laser printer. Colors can appear faded if the printer ink spreads into the fibers, and the output will appear less than professional for the audience in question.