Printing under pressure: Why publishers need better planning, stronger partners and a renewed belief in print

For publishers trying to manage print in 2026, the pressure is coming from every direction.

Paper prices remain difficult to predict. Postal rates keep rising. Supply chains have improved since the pandemic, but global trade disruptions, tariffs, mill consolidation and shifting demand continue to reshape what was once a more predictable production environment. At the same time, publishers still need to control costs, maintain quality, serve advertisers and keep readers engaged across both print and digital platforms.

That was the focus of an E&P webinar sponsored by Publication Printers, featuring Dave Sanchez, sales manager at Publication Printers, and three paper-market experts from Billerud: Steve Sassman, territory manager; Steven Genter, director of marketing; and Angie Stroud, market intelligence manager.

 

Sanchez said the purpose of the conversation was not to sell but to educate. “I think my publishers are inundated every day with salespeople trying to sell them something,” Sanchez said. “From a printer standpoint, we need to spend a lot more time on educating than we do on trying to sell something.” That education, he argued, is essential because print remains a major expense for publishers, whether they produce newspapers, magazines, niche publications, direct mail or specialty products. “Printing is about 60% of their outlay every month,” Sanchez said. “And within that bill, about 60% of our invoice to the publisher is paper.”

The paper market is smaller, tighter and less forgiving

Genter opened with a long view of paper demand, noting that coated freesheet, a major paper grade used in magazines and other printed products, has been in long-term decline. He said coated freesheet demand has declined at roughly 6%, while newsprint and some groundwood grades have seen steeper declines, closer to double digits.

The decline is not just a demand story. It is also a capacity story. Genter said there were once 24 North American coated freesheet mills. Today, he said, there are only five. That means every mill closure, conversion or supply disruption now has a much larger impact on the overall market. “When you have a lot of mills, it’s pretty common that the smaller mills go out first,” Genter said. “Then you get to just a few anchor mills left that are much larger.”

The same dynamic matters to newspaper publishers. Even though Billerud does not produce newsprint, Genter said many of the same pressures — input costs, tariffs, supply and demand, and mill economics — also affect the newsprint market. “I think those major cost components really also transcend over to news,” he said.

For publishers, the takeaway is clear: print planning can no longer be treated as a short-term procurement exercise. Fewer mills, fewer paper options and longer lead times require earlier conversations with printers and suppliers.

Sanchez said the old days of calling a printer and quickly changing paper stock are gone. “Years ago, you could call your printer and say, ‘I want to do this,’” Sanchez said. “Today, if you wanted to switch to a different basis weight … they might say to us, ‘We need 120 days for that to happen.’ That’s a long time to make a switch.”

Acccess slides used during the Webinar

Partnerships now matter more than pennies

 

One of the strongest messages from the webinar was that publishers should stop treating print buying as a race to the lowest short-term price.

Publication Printers, Sanchez said, has built its business around long-term relationships with both customers and suppliers. “We’re not a printing company that’s jumping from mill to mill to mill based on 10 cents a hundredweight,” Sanchez said. “We really try to go out and get a partner, somebody that we can partner with for long term.”

Sassman echoed that point from the supplier side. He said publishers and printers need relationships that can withstand market volatility. “Align with somebody who believes in long-term relationships,” Sassman said. “When things happen where stuff needs to happen fast, it’s easier to work with each other and try to help each other out.”

For publishers, especially smaller newspaper organizations without deep production departments, that advice may be more important than any single forecast. A strong printer relationship can help identify paper alternatives, production efficiencies, new revenue ideas and smarter planning windows before costs become emergencies.

Print can still help publishers grow revenue

 

While much of the discussion focused on paper-market volatility, Stroud brought the conversation back to print’s continuing value as a marketing and communication channel.

Although Billerud’s customers are primarily in direct mail, catalogs, magazines and books rather than newsprint, Stroud said the broader benefits of print still apply across use cases. “It’s really about the power of print,” she said.

Stroud cited research showing that consumers continue to engage with physical mail and printed materials. She said one direct-mail study found that 79% of consumers engage with the mail they receive, and one in five consumers made a purchase because of a relevant direct-mail piece they received in the previous six to 12 months.

She also noted that print use is increasing among many organizations seeking more tactile customer experiences. “With the digital onslaught that consumers are experiencing, the physical brand experience, even for the younger generation, is very impactful,” Stroud said.

That point should resonate with news publishers. Many local media companies have expanded into lifestyle magazines, visitors guides, niche publications, event programs, direct mail products and other printed verticals that attract advertisers who want a premium, tangible environment.

Stroud said magazines remain especially powerful for advertisers. “People respond more favorably to brands they see advertised in magazines,” she said, noting research showing increases in brand favorability, willingness to try new products and likelihood to purchase.

She also highlighted a stat every publisher should consider adding to a media kit: A single magazine copy is read, on average, by more than seven people.

Sanchez jumped in with practical advice for publishers. “For all the publishers that are out there watching this, you should take a screenshot of this and put this in your media kit,” he said.

The print-versus-digital debate misses the point

 

Stroud’s strongest argument was not that print should replace digital. It was that print and digital should work together, with each channel doing what it does best.

Digital offers speed, scale and frequency. Print offers attention, memory, trust and tangibility. “Digital channels are really designed for speed and frequency, whereas print on paper, direct mail and catalogs, they’re designed for attention and memorability,” Stroud said. She pointed to neuroscientific research, including studies from Temple University, showing that print can outperform digital in recall, trust and response. “Print is a cognitive advantage, not just a channel,” Stroud said. “Print consistently outperforms digital in recall, trust and response rates.”

That insight is especially important for publishers tempted to walk away from print entirely. Stroud said many organizations underestimate print because digital metrics are easier and faster to measure. “I think there’s a misunderstanding,” she said. “The attribution assigned to print does not get the appropriate credit for the results that it gets because digital is so quick and easy to measure.”

Her warning to publishers considering abandoning print was direct. “Based on all the research that I’ve done and the impact that print has on people’s attention … to me, it’s a huge mistake.”

"New Print" study mentioned during the Webinar

The new mandate: plan earlier, sell smarter and protect print’s value

The webinar’s central message was not that print is easy. It is not.

Costs are real. Forecasting is difficult. Postal rates remain a burden. Paper markets are smaller and more concentrated. Publishers cannot assume the same paper, same price or same production schedule will always be available on short notice. But the panelists also made clear that print still has value — not as nostalgia, but as a business tool.

For newspaper publishers, that value may come through a weekly print edition, a premium magazine, a targeted direct-mail product, a niche lifestyle publication, a political mail program or a high-quality advertiser showcase. The opportunity is not simply to keep printing the way things have always been printed. It is to treat print more strategically.

That means building stronger relationships with printers and paper suppliers. It means planning months ahead rather than weeks. It means using research to help advertisers understand print’s impact. It means making smarter choices about paper, format, frequency and audience.

As Sanchez put it, profit will not simply land on a publisher’s desk. “You have to seek profit,” he said. “There are so many different revenue ideas that your printing company might be able to share with you.” In other words, print may be under pressure. But for publishers willing to plan carefully, sell intelligently and partner strategically, it still has work to do.