In inkjet printing, spreading and ab-sorption processes determine the final area of a printed dot, which is decisive for print quality in terms of coverage and resolution. In this work, the printed dot area of overall 140 paper-liquid pairings representative for the operational window of an inkjet printer is evaluated. The results are explained by a model including spreading, absorption, and evaporation. The surface tension and viscosity of the liquids, as well as the pore size and polarity of the substrates were varied systematically to represent the range of uncoated paper-liquid pairings applicable for inkjet printing. We propose a novel modeling approach for liquid wetting and liquid penetration from surface energies of substrate and liquid. For this purpose, the contact angle and liquid penetration is modeled by polar and dispersive surface energies, utilizing the theories of Owens-Wendt-Rabel-Kaelble (OWRK), Wu, or van Oss, Good, Chaudhury (vOGC). Frequently used saturated pore models for liquid penetration in paper are discussed (Lucas Washburn, Darcy), particularly under the perspective that the actual flow regime in paper is unsaturated pore flow. Why are the common models working then?