Q3 Paper Outlook — Big Paper Cuts

While paper prices and availability appear to have stabilized, prices may soon be on the rise, according to Debbie Creel, CFO of Creel Printing in Las Vegas.

Creel believes that as more and more pulp producers slow production, printers will see a rise in paper prices later in the year. "The overall weakening U.S. economy has produced a significant decrease in paper demand over the past four months; this has resulted in some larger-than-normal inventories for the paper mills, and they've responded with downtime," she says. "As the mills slow production and reduce inventories, we will begin to see a gradual increase in pricing throughout the year."