“For an illustrated magazine, good print quality is essential in order to reproduce the images we use faithfully and in as much detail as possible."

With an impressive suite of magazines to its name, including the complete range of National Geographic’s Spanish titles, as well as publications focused on everything from interior design to cooking and health and wellness, RBA Revistas is Spain’s number one magazine publisher.

Gloria Guell, Ainara Loba, Ana Nova, Puri Garcia and Cristina Gargante all work at RBA’s purchasing department in Barcelona, Spain. Together they are responsible for sourcing the paper for RBA’s range of magazines and collectibles.

“Our collection includes five to ten of the best-selling magazines in Spain. Together they reach more than 11 million readers every month,” Cristina Gargante explains.

It is no secret that the rise of digitalisation has had an impact on the magazine business. But even though these are tricky times in the publishing world, RBA Revistas has been quick to adapt.

“For some time now, traditional distribution channels, such as kiosks, have been shrinking due to the disappearance of numerous points of sale. As a result, we’ve been forced to look for alternatives, and that hasn’t always been easy,” Gloria Guell continues. “However, RBA has made a great effort to prioritise its digital transformation.”

Magazines with a strong visual profile

For the production of glossy magazines with a strong visual profile, the choice of paper is fundamental, in order to achieve the desired end result, according to Ainara Loba. “For an illustrated magazine, good print quality is essential in order to reproduce the images we use faithfully and in as much detail as possible. The current market tendency is to use low weight products with high bulk that offer good printability, to ensure better print result." Loba explains that RBA Revistas were looking for this combination when they decided to use Holmen’s papers.

Holmen TRND 70 g/m² is used for National Geographic “extras”, or special editions.

“We needed the right type of paper for a magazine with low pagination, but one that still required a certain bulk and that could deliver high quality reproduction of illustrations,” adds Guell.

With its magazines, RBA Revistas reaches more than 11 million readers every month.