Copy Paper

The Role of Copy Paper in the Cyber Age

Few technologies are more ubiquitous than the printed word. Ever since Johann Gutenberg's printing press swept the western world from the Dark Ages, the printed word has been the communication media of choice. In modern times, with the perfection of the xerographic process, copy paper reigns supreme serving the printing and reprographic needs of the masses. However, enormous changes presently taking place in the landscape of the printed word are having a dramatic im-pact on copy paper manufacturers.

One challenge facing the copy paper industry today is obsolescence of the printed medium. Indeed, since the Internet and the World Wide Web became universally accessible in 1993, visionaries have predicted a rapidly diminishing role for paper. Their view of the "Paperless Office" seemed not only plausible

but highly probable. To be sure, the Cyber Age dictates that the future of printing and publishing is digital. But, does the Cyber evolution portend the death of copy paper? An examination of the role played by copy paper in the paper industry and among end users, and a look at how the industry and allied suppliers have responded to the challenge, may shed some light on this question.
In the most simple of terms, copy paper is the communication media of choice because it is user-friendly. The user-friendly nature of copy paper embodies the following eight essential qualities:

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VIB Systems GmbH • Am Kreuzstein 80 • 63477 Maintal • Germany • Phone: +49 6109 606-0 • Fax: +49 6109 606-160

VIB Systems, Inc. • 4661-A Hammermill Road • Tucker, GA 30084 • USA • Phone: +1 770 491 8981 • Fax: +1 770 934 5716

Qualitek VIB • 4661-A Hammermill Road • Tucker, GA 30084 • USA • Phone: +1 770 543 0180 • Fax: +1 770 543 0181