Update on Printing Paper

WCP Solutions is committed to helping our customers find the printing papers they need to keep their business moving forward.  We are doing our best to keep as much inventory available during this time of limited supply and support as many customers as possible.

Printing paper demand has been in steady decline for many years. Printing paper manufacturers have rushed to close mills and shutter paper machines to balance output and maintain a sustainable level of profitability for their shareholders. Early last year, as the pandemic began to move across the globe, demand for printing paper plummeted and accelerated further mill capacity reductions. In mid-2020 many pulp & paper mills were operating at an unsustainable level of just over 60% capacity. Mill and merchant inventories were ballooning, and prices were in decline.

Printing and paper demand has recovered faster than expected and paper mills no longer have capacity capable of servicing the current demand. Domestic carriers, used to move products from mills to merchants, are in short supply. 

Offshore suppliers historically have provided relief, when markets tighten, but with ocean freight also experiencing extreme inflation, and container availability being very limited, many offshore suppliers are just not able to fill the void. 

We anticipate that this will keep our domestic mills under continued pressure for the foreseeable future. Both coated and uncoated domestic paper manufacturers are in an “oversold” position, and many are limiting access to their products through use of allocations and moratoriums. 

These are truly historic and challenging times in the graphic arts industry. We are grateful for your continued support and WCP will continue to manage our business carefully so we can be your trusted partner for years to come.

For questions and comments please contact your local WCP Solutions team