The Butterfly Effect

There are other issues, as well. For one, small- to mid-sized printers are finding it hard to keep up with CTP chemistry costs. For another, postal rates in some cases are increasing by as much as 40 percent, which, in turn, will require fewer page counts or lighter paper.

There are as many potential negatives to every supply chain situation as there are potential positives. As one example, calcium carbonate is the most widely used mineral in paper-making today, primarily because of its cost savings in raw materials. The move toward Chinese paper mills complements the untapped calcium carbonate resources there, estimated to be 20 percent of the world’s supply.