1st Quarter Paper Outlook

Because of the variances in pricing, opportunities may arise for print buyers to supply their own paper. "With variances, there are chinks in the armor—if you haven't looked at supplying your own paper, now's the time to do it," he says.

Feeling No Pressure
The anticipated increases don't seem to be alarming many printers, who are confident that a year similar to 1995 in any way is far from likely. In fact, a recent Printing Industries of America survey of web printers revealed that for the first time in recent years, paper prices no longer head the list of problems facing web printers. Although still a major concern, paper prices ranked third in the survey, behind a lack of skilled employees and over/under capacity troubles, respectively.