Q4 Paper Outlook — On-the-Cheap Sheets

"The paper industry is evolving faster than ever before," says Sabine Lenz, founder of PaperSpecs.com. "With mills being consolidated, discontinuing existing stocks and releasing new lines, it is very complex for anyone who specs paper to stay on top of things."

The Survey Says

While 74 percent of the survey's participants said they rely on printers to assist in determining the best paper to use for a project (the top choice by a wide margin), a significant number of them contend that it is difficult to get paper samples from those printers, Lenz says. This year's survey also showed that print buyers and designers are looking to their printers to be more educated about various paper options, not just their house stock.