Paper is paper, right? WRONG! After speaking with Lindsay Moore at XY Paper, we learned that there is far more to paper development, production, and marketing than we would have thought possible. By focusing on providing customers with extremely high quality materials and products, XY has distinguished itself from its competitors. Offering myriad standard items as well as bespoke design and decoration capabilities, XY has patented solutions that nobody else seems to be able to reproduce. 

Can you tell me a bit about XY Paper?

Sure, the best place to start is where we're located. We operate out of two primary locations. One in Harmony, Pennsylvania in the USA and one in Guangzhou, China. We're an internationally-oriented company that produces patented specialty coatings and papers for packaging manufacturers. We have a long list of things that we produce, and all of them are related to paper, coatings, or basic plastic components. That means we make paper bags, gift bags, boxes, blister packs, wraps, boutique bags, counter displays, blister cards, floor displays, custom gift boxes, gift wrap, clamshells, envelopes, tags, tubes, PET packaging, printed brown craft bags, and our star product, custom high-end paper bags. We have many examples on our website, xypaperandprinting.com and also a brochure that we are happy to send out.

What markets does your company target?

We target any packaging manufacturer, international brand, or retailer that is looking for something that they want to stand out. We can help any company that's looking to create something eye-catching and unique, such as a designer item, a gift with purchase, specialty items, or any sort of unique bag, box, or blister pack. Our goal is to surprise our clients with something they haven't seen before or take their specific ideas and go well beyond their expectations. Since we have offices in China and in the USA, we have access to many products and processes that other companies do not. We opened up the office in the USA last year and made sure to hire a dedicated sales and marketing team, to spread the word about our capabilities and offer our North American customers better, speedier service. We hold the certificates that most major retailers require and have done business with Costco, Michaels, Target, and quite a few others.

What is your role at XY?

I’m the VP of Sales. I work closely with our team in China. I’m responsible for executing our CEO's vision in the USA and our COO's requirements in China. I assist our entire team in seeking out new customers and ensuring that our customers are well taken care of.

What challenges does your firm currently face and how are you surmounting them?

One of the biggest challenges XY has to overcome in gaining new customers is explaining and demonstrating how we differ from "standard" overseas production facilities. Their only point of differentiation is cheap pricing because they don’t have the ability to produce unique, extremely high quality products. By providing samples, test reports, and detailed information about our quality, QC procedures, and unique products, we hope to have continued success in garnering new customers.

What sort of papers do your clients buy and why?

XY's most popular papers are our custom coloured line, our pulp-dyed sheets, our specialty coated papers, and our premium ultra-white line. Our unique dying process allows us to achieve custom colours for extremely low MOQ’s at great pricing and outstanding quality. Our patented specialty coatings give our customers the ability to make their products stand out for a variety of luxury packaging solutions, including retail bags, boxes, brochure covers, and many others. XY Premium Ultra White is the brightest, highest quality sheet in Asia, guaranteed.

How do you achieve product differentiation through paper products?

Simply put, we focus on quality. Unfortunately, high quality, premium papers are extremely hard to come by in Asia. XY solves that problem, and can offer a number of solutions to international customers. Everything from our premium hard wood pulp mixtures to our imported premium dyes, unique twin wire production methods, and specialized coating machines result in exceptional products with unsurpassed quality at the cost savings you’d expect from overseas production.

Coatings - why do customers need them? Do they apply to specific requirements?

Customers' reasons for needing coatings are as varied as the coatings themselves. Some want to add dimension and texture and opt for our POP coating (Pop Off the Page). Some want to add sparkle and shine and utilize our non-shedding glitter coating. We also have GID (Glow in the Dark) and C-Thru coatings which have been popular for a multitude of applications. Best of all, any of our coatings can be combined to create extra special effects.

Which decoration finishes do you offer?

XY offers all of the standard decoration finishes, such as hot stamping, UV varnishes, UV glitter, thermography, and others. Where we excel is with our specialty decorative coatings, many of which are patented. As retail environments become more competitive, everyone seems to be looking for an "edge" - something to make their products get noticed. We’ve seen the demand for unique substrates, coatings, and applications for luxury packaging increase. Metallic papers, hot stamping, glitter, and glow in the dark have all become more popular lately. XY has some very unique twists on glow in the dark coatings which we combine that with our POP coating to add dimension, texture, and a unique visual effect.

Do you have any upcoming new items or services you can discuss?

We're currently working on a revolutionary product for commercial and digital printing. I can't give away too many details, but the product will focus on a special glitter paper. We hope to launch the product in Q3 of 2017. Hopefully, we'll be showcasing the new concept at some shows this year. We'll be attending the Bologna and Frankfurt Book Fairs and we’ll also likely attend Book Expo America, the National Stationary show, and several others to meet with customers we sell bulk materials to.