Consumables-Paper - Offset

BY ERIK CAGLE It was around this time last year that paper buyers were being hit with an increase of $3 per hundred weight; approximately 6.5 percent on a typical 40/45 lb. No. 4 or No. 5 sheet. What a difference one year makes. As everyone else worries about whether their computers and household appliances will survive the Year 2000 (Y2K) bug scare or whether the new millennium party should start in 2000 or 2001, printers and their customers have other motivations to look toward the future with wonderment. No, call it glee. The paper market is soft to start the first quarter of

On the foreseeable horizon, paper prices should remain moderate—but don't let the stable situation make for stingy expenditure budgets for 1999. The word is caution, not complacency, for the market. BY MARIE RANOIA ALONSO Welcome to September. For many, it's a time to establish budgets for purchasing expenditures for the following year. Little doubt, in most commercial printing operations, paper is the most paramount consumable purchase for which to anticipate, sparking many a meeting or hallway conference on what to expect from the paper mills and distributors regarding pricing and availability. How to prepare? Two words: Remain conservative. Bruce Janis, president of MSPGA: Management Science for the Publishing

BY CHERYL A. ADAMS Welcome to this special (fictional) edition of the game show "Jeopardy," where the contestants are printers, paper manufacturers, paper merchants and industry experts. The category is "Global Competition and World Markets." The question: "Is offshore paper usage affecting domestic demand?" But wait. This is a special bonus round. There's an economic crisis in Asia. The high hopes of European paper suppliers to sell their grades in Asian markets have backfired. Tons of paper, including coated free sheet, are headed for American shores. So contestants, get ready. Here's your chance to score big with a special bonus-round question: "What are

BY CAROLYN R. BAK The second quarter of 1998 succeeded in delivering the type of paper pricing atmosphere that thrills commercial printers and publishers, but causes journalists covering the market to squirm. "It's been very quiet," reports Bruce Janis, president of MSPGA: Management Science for the Publishing and Graphic Arts. "This past quarter was really the first quarter in over a year that we haven't had some kind of increase." Brian Kullman, vice president, material procurement, R.R. Donnelley & Sons, attributes the lack of pricing activity this quarter to seasonal slowness. "Consumption is at a seasonal low point in the second quarter, then begins to rack up

Not long after revelers congregated in Times Square to watch the ball drop, signaling the start of 1998, paper prices reflected the first increase of the new year. "It was three dollars per hundred weight or roughly 6.5 percent on a typical 40/45 lb. number four or five sheet," relates Bruce Janis, president of MSPGA: Management Science for the Publishing and Graphic Arts, of the first-quarter jump. MSPGA Internal Paper AnalysisMarket Prices Charged by 10 Sample Printers &nbsp45 lb. No.540 lb. No.5 Printers(anon.)Nov.Mar.Nov.Mar. A$42.90$45.75$45.76$48.75 B$41.85$44.86$44.20$47.00 C$43.75$46.75$43.00$46.00 D$44.55$48.68$47.52$50.25 E$44.59$47.50$50.55$52.50 F$42.55$45.70$44.10$47.25 G$45.55$48.00$46.85$50.00 H$42.90$45.90$47.52$50.52 I$41.56$44.50$50.22$53.00 J$45.75$48.75$48.50$51.50 Mean$43.60$46.64$46.82$49.68 Source: MSPGA Management Science for thePublishing and Graphic Arts (New York)Questions or comments may be directed toMSPGA at (888) MSPGA14. HTTP://www.MSPGA.com The increase was

Remember the novelty of flipping over an earthy-colored greeting card to locate on its back the statement, "Made from recycled materials"? Not only did the mainstream introduction of paper recycling in the consumer marketplace signal an effort to reduce waste and keep reusable material out of landfills, it became trendy—the "hot" thing to do. These days, most paper mills offer a plethora of grades containing up to 100-percent postconsumer content. Yet, with recycled no longer the burning issue of the day, has the popularity of such grades lost its fire? When recycled grades were first developed as a viable alternative to virgin paper, environmentalists cheered, but

A crucial element of design, paper can add edge to printed advertisements, refinement to annual reports, and can easily mean the difference between the outstanding and the ordinary. Fortunately for designers and graphic artists, the variety of papers in general has expanded—creating a wealth of choices tailored to improving aesthetic appearances. With more choices, however, comes the need for additional knowledge. The technical demands of pressroom and bindery should be carefully considered when specifying paper for a printed piece. Stock choices inconsistent with the abilities of a printer's machinery can lead to disastrous results—not to mention extra time and cost. So, what is the