Several advantages accrue to those customers who elect to change from a branded watermarked business paper to an ‘own-watermark.’
A line drawing of a customer’s name/logo can usually be converted into an authentic watermark. This is achieved by producing a ‘Dandy Roll’ with the watermark design fixed to its surface. The ‘mark’ is therefore introduced during the manufacture of the paper and forms an integral part of the eventual sheet.
A watermark significantly helps a company to further differentiate its correspondence from the mainstream.
The ‘mark’ can be deliberately positioned to suit the customer’s needs. It can be centrally registered, registered within the lower third of an A4 sheet, or even placed close to the long edge in a continuous strip !
The choice of shade is entirely up to the customer. The mill can commercially match any given shade of paper; helping to further distinguish their letterhead from the ‘crowd’.
Rather than be constrained by what’s available, the weight of paper can be determined by the client. By choosing, say, 110gsm, the paper will ‘feel’ better than the usual 100gsm used by most companies. Research shows that consumers associate ‘heavier’ paper with higher quality.
For an ‘own-watermark’, the customer can select any weight between 80 and 120gsm.
The ultimate in ‘quality,’ is generally accepted to be 100% cotton. As this is the most expensive paper making fibre available, cost considerations are obviously a factor. However, depending upon the available budget, the customer can choose any proportion of cotton content they wish. The most common is ‘25% cotton’ as this level is sufficient to yield obvious tactile benefits over ordinary woodfree products.
There are a variety of finishes to choose from:
Standard wove.
Super smooth wove.
Laid lined.
Antique style (high cotton content only).
All our bespoke watermarked products are guaranteed for use on all monochrome laser printers and ink-jet printers.
In order to economically produce an own watermark, all we need is an order for two tonnes. This equates to only 640 reams of A4 100gsm, which for many companies represents less than 18 months consumption.
Within this, a customer can order as little as 500Kgs., of a size. For example: 1 tonne of SRA2 + 1 tonne of A4. Due to the circumference required a Dandy Roll can accommodate either SRA2 or RA2, but not both. A4 and A3 can be produced using any Dandy Roll.
Invariably companies insist that the DL (and even C4) envelopes match their letterhead stock. We have often had envelope base paper produced in concert with the watermarked paper: We also arrange conversion and printing as required.
By ordering 2 tonnes, the customer benefits not only from the bulk purchase, but also because we will provide the Dandy Roll free of charge. This is possible because experience has shown that the vast majority of own watermarks are re-ordered on several occasions allowing the cost to be spread over several tonnes.
A watermark confers prestige, enhances a corporate image and provides protection by ensuring a company’s documents can be easily validated, by simply checking that it has the unique watermark.
© DHM August 2005
