Postal Issues — Rate Case Pushes Forward

Perhaps even harder hit is the magazine publishing industry, which cannot opt for other distribution channels for its printed editions. Time Inc. will absorb a $43 million hit across all classes of mail, according to Barry Meinerth, senior vice president of production and fulfillment.

“There’s no way you can offset that sort of impact on your bottom line,” Meinerth remarks. “We have aggressively looked at changing trim sizes, where possible. We’ve gotten to where we’re running most of our magazines on 30-lb. or 38-lb. paper. We’ve even got a few running on 28-lb. So we’re lightening magazines as much as possible to offset the postal hike.”