Paper Outlook — Declaring War on Dumping

One paper buyer for a magazine publisher, speaking on the condition that he not be identified, is not surprised with recent actions of paper manufacturers, given the stagnation in pricing. There has also been a domino effect with some neighboring grades.

“Mills have made a concerted effort to keep capacity in line with demand,” he says. “Another wild card is that newsprint consumption is declining rapidly. Publishers are also changing trim size to lower consumption. This usually has a ripple effect on all grades and causes downward pricing pressure, especially on coated and SC.”