by editor Morten B. Reitoft.

Imagine you are sick and goes to the doctor, you, of course, expect your doctor to have a formal degree and a license to practice. If you need legal counselling, you expect your lawyer to have an education, and a license to practice. Authorities become authorities as a result of education or being established as such through their work and recognition. Some of the authorities in the printing industry have become authorities because they raise opinions and build an audience around themselves. Authorities, therefore, become influencers mere to the fact that they have a large audience. 

All this you, of course, already know. The reason why I want to talk about authorities is that some of the authorities in the industry are used to promote products and services and therefore also becomes marketing assets for some companies. If a well-known chef recommends a restaurant, the restaurant can be pretty sure that followers, friends, and people, in general, are likely to consider that review more important than if I did the same. We also know that a completely new term within marketing has appeared, namely YouTubers. Recommendations or testimonials are mostly personal. If I recommend a brand or a service, it's my name and my reputation that is on stake. However, having a personal opinion is less committing than writing, i.e. a white paper. So what is the difference between a brochure and a white paper? 

Let's start with the defintion on Wikipedia:
"A white paper is an authoritative report or guide that informs readers concisely about a complex issue and presents the issuing body's philosophy on the matter. It is meant to help readers understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision."

In the past, a white paper was considered a scientific research document, or at least a paper where the research was done by independent writers. The reason why I decided to write this article today is that Xeikon just released a new 'White Paper' that I chose to download and read. The 'White Paper' itself is not bad. It's, however, an opinion and a biased document towards Xeikon products and services, and in the end, the document states the following:

"No parts of this brochure may be reproduced, copied, adapted, translated or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior written permission from Xeikon. The material in this brochure is for informational purposes only and is subject to change without prior notice. No responsibility or liability is assumed by Xeikon for any errors, which may appear in this White Paper."

So reading this, you, of course, understand that even Xeikon recognise this isn't a 'White Paper' in essence. It's a brochure. A brochure is, by all means, an opinion, and a story that is biased, and want you to purchase based on the information you have got. As mentioned, Xeikon do try to write an honest document, and I did learn a lot from it, but when terms like 'White Paper' is used, it implies that it's written by a third-party. Companies like Keypoint Intelligence do these kinds of 'White Papers', and though I too some extend also find that critical or questionable, these are at least papers written by a third-party. 

Nobody can probably write a 100% unbiased White Paper for a company and to imagine that 100% independent journalists and researchers would write anything that could be used as part of marketing collateral, I find unlikely.

When I choose a headline like "Terms Redefined" it's because I believe it's unfair to printers and the public to use a phrase like White Papers when it's not. Printers are today already spun with marketing and commercials to a degree where misuse of terms can lead to an even higher disconnection between buyers and sellers. I am a fed up, to be honest - let's start calling the things what they are. 

Link to White Paper "Download" section.