Experiences and conclusions are presented from two major studies which investigated the effect of internal and surface composition of uncoated paper on non-impact printing behaviour. The key substrate properties affecting print quality, and the chemical treatments which can be used to modify them are identified. A model is proposed for the parameters with the greatest influence on print behaviour.Using the know-how and market awareness gained from these earlier projects, the recent rapid and extensive developments in non-impact printing technology, the changes in its areas of application, and the implications for paper media are examined. The transition of office ink-jet printing from a growing market to a mature technology, and the redirection of effort towards wide format, photorealistic and digital production printing is tracked. The print-paper interaction model is reassessed in the light of current and predicted non-impact printing trends, and used to provide a strategy for the design of paper media in the new decade.The conclusion is reached that, rather than striving for substrate independence, print-paper interactions are beneficial and desirable for digital print quality, and these interactions should be recognised in non-impact printing technology developments.