Mead

Eugene G. Schwartz is editor at large for ForeWord Reviews, an industry observer and an occasional columnist for Book Business magazine. In an earlier career, he was in the printing business and held production management positions at Random House, Prentice-Hall/Goodyear and CRM Books/Psychology Today. A former PMA (IBPA) board member, he has headed his own publishing consultancy, Consortium House. He is also Co-Founder of Worthy Shorts Inc., a development stage online private press and publication service for professionals as well as an online back office publication service for publishers and associations. He is on the Publishing Business Conference and Expo Advisory Board.

Longfellow’s celebration of the forest primeval finds its echo today in the green revolution taking place along the supply chain of the paper industry. Although—as I learned from interviewing people who prefer not be quoted on the subject—good intentions are ahead of actual practice, it is a harbinger nonetheless of the revolutionary transformations taking place in the paper industry’s business practices. Which brings me to the subject of this column: a snapshot of the globally transforming paper industry, the state of book-paper supply, and how the present outlook shapes your paper usage and purchasing strategies. As long as print products are foundational to the

Following a tense 18 months that saw paper production streamlined through consolidation, mill closings and machine shutdowns, paper producers look toward 2003 with a hint of optimism fueled by anticipation of an economic rebound. According to most manufacturers, major consolidation has strengthened the paper industry rather than harmed it, allowing companies to concentrate on their core lines to maintain their position in increasingly competitive markets. Another upbeat development expected in 2003 is further introductions of digital papers to accommodate digital short-run presses. BTM spoke with some producers who expect more consolidation in the coming year, occurring on a smaller scale. They added that

In looking back on 2001, the state of the pulp and paper market can be best described as volatile. And as the strains of "Auld Lang Syne" fade away, the outlook does not appear to be any more stable for the coming year. In fact, due to the dipping economic outlook that many pundits predicted months ago, paper buying has taken on a renewed set of competitive objectives starting foremost (and not surprisingly) with affordability. Since slower publishing demands contributed to a waning paper market throughout 2001, according to the Labor Department's International Price Program, buying habits have been greatly affected. Coupled with international

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