Paper Outlook — Paper Trails Economy

Back to the '80s

Dome Printing does more than $20 million in annual sales, about 70 percent of which is web offset printing and the rest sheetfed. Across the board, Poole says the company has been buying paper at mid-1980s pricing levels.

"While I don't see the situation changing readily, I can forecast that sometime during 2004 there will be a significant paper price increase. As paper mills have depleted their inventories and reduced capacity, they will be in a position to drive paper prices back up," the printing exec says. "And yet, we haven't heard any discussion of price increases for at least four months. If anything, we've seen increased competitive pressure in the marketplace."