Q3 Paper Outlook — Beaten to a Pulp

To help shops manage that cost, the association has begun offering a new Paper Price Tracking System to its members. "This new source will give printers recent information on paper prices, making them more informed consumers in dealing with paper companies and merchants," says Dr. Ron Davis, PIA's chief economist. The system will feature a direct interface to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Producer Price Index (PPI) data for paper, which covers some 25 different grades, Davis notes. That data will be supplemented with findings from paper-related questions being added to the association's regular member survey, he adds.