The amount of times I've gotten "Due to Allocation, we cannot supply you that paper" over the past 4 months has been beyond frustrating. I feel your pain working for a small shop
I work as an engineer at one of the largest integrated pulp and paper mills in the United States, and shortages have been hitting us hard which has been affecting our production. Oil/grease shortages are killing us and replacement parts for machines and industrial processes have insane lead times of 3 to 9 months these days. We can't do the maintenance and service that our facilities need, and it's leading to a lot of 4-6 hour break downs every few days. That lost production time adds up quick for a facility that is supposed to run 24/7. It's not going to get any better any time soon with the global petroleum situation getting even worse due to conflicts overseas. Our oil and grease suppliers are giving us quantities far, far below our contracted amounts to the point where we're not even sure how we are going to operate at all. It's not good news on the production side of things.
I feel for you. I am in the same boat. In the past, paper was available next day and we all had mill reps visiting frequently, offering a broad range of options. Today it takes months to get paper, and the options are very narrow. Every printer will probably have a handful of papers we can get, and only be able to offer that. Hats off to you for publishing this video. The comments from everyone at least give us a sense we are not alone in these difficult times.
Our small family business is also going through the same thing. We are lucky that we have diversified our business and print other types of items. It is so frustrating though.
I've been inside some industrial print plants lately. I do see big pallets of parent sized papers when I used to see very little. I also see giant paper rolls for the offset web presses in storage. The large printers do seem to be getting paper. The mom & pop shops are really getting screwed. They are not taking new jobs for fear of not getting paper.
We had the same issue with 70lb in November that we needed for a yearly job we get. Our supplier only had 250 sheet packs of 12x18, so we got all they had left. It showed up not even in cases because apparently there's also a cardboard box shortage now. Even from the mill direct, paper for another job took us almost 6 weeks to get. It's crazy.
Dan I think the large printing companies have agreements or contracts in place with mills or distributors for paper. I’m sure the big boys are getting taken care of first and we’ll get whatever is left over.🤷♂️
I can tell you right now of a few 50 to 100+mm dollar companies that are being cut off COMPLETELY. Not put on allocation, but cut off to zero. On the other hand I am speaking to one printer, who's having his allocations increased. He always paid mill asking price, has been consistently growing and keeps in good standing with the mills directly.
Been doing this since 1992 and never have seen it this bad. I run a large university inplant and having a difficult time finding all kinds of supplies.
I’ve been fortunate here in Arizona. My supplier gets paper directly from California and we’ve been getting most everything we need. Couple things that are still hit or miss
Learned from my rep at one a major US paper mill - they are replenishing their more profitable papers first with the with economy papers maybe later in Q2. makes sense for them but hurts digital printers.
My supplier has been pretty good about finding stuff for us, but it’s like a substitute of a substitute of a substitute. If I want one specific kind of paper, it’s usually like the 3rd or 4th substitute that they have. It’s crazy.
One thing you should do is place your order even though the paper is not yet available. Most distributors are filling orders based upon those orders already in place. It is not first come first serve at least not with MacPapers.
This problem is worldwide I think. I'm watching you Dan from globe's other side, Europe. Here is the same problem with the paper. I have copy studio & office supply store (general- office papers and toners) and its hard to find or very often paper stocks are exhausted... not to mention their prices.. it's horrible all this situation.
It's printer self sabotage. Everyone chased the cheapest paper to race to the bottom on price in the industry. Mills shut down and replaced the paper made here, for mills in South Korea and mostly China. Now that all the paper is stuck off the coast in CA and in China. Printers today are now paying the price with shortages. This is why it is so important to buy American and to promote the understanding that printing isn't just "printing", it's manufacturing, and should be protected as such.
My company uses US-made paper and cardboard boxes, exclusively. The owner is a veteran and this is an important thing for him. It is good paper and runs fine so it is all good. But the supplies are drying up. At times, we have run out of basic stocks like 24# plain white. They brought in emergency supplies to keep us going. Imported, because it was all they could get. It is cheaper than the usual paper but it has a blue hue issue and runs poorly. Nobody is happy with this stuff. We would rather have our American paper that costs more.
@Just A Printer. Hi Dan. Sorry to hear of the struggle you are having to get hold of paper stock for your business. I read recently in the U.K. trade publication "Printweek" that at a major UPM paper mill in Finland, the Finnish Papermakers' Union have gone on strike. Don't know how big a supply comes from that mill and here's hoping it doesn't spread to other UPM mills, but it will cause problems this side of the Pond and in Europe. Remember, when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Stay safe and well.
The big boys are feeling it also. We were told to fill up our warehouses, so that’s what we did. Theirs stuff we still can’t get. After 6-7 months we were able to get some 80# uncoated cvr. Now when we need to order our daily inventory of carbonless, we’re being told to just order what we need and we have to supply the big wigs how many sheets we use a month and how much we have on site and they need to approve it. Really stressing that they bought everything for x amount of dollars and if the prices drop how they will turn everything for a profit.
We’re seeing the same thing (with a different cause) in the apparel printing industry. The BIG shops are buying semi trucks of tees before they hit distributers, they rest of us just see out of stock on certain skus for months. When things do become available, they sell out in hours. Clients are frustrated.
Hi Dan, we are having the same issue here in UK and paper prices are going up every month which is crazy. Most of our paper comes from Europe and there was a strike at one of the paper mills UPM in Finland.
Direct mail house here. We have been giving our customers limited choices. 24# text for envelope mailers. 100# cover for postcards. Envelopes have been a pain, but we’ve been ok. #9 envelopes are a huge pain. It is what it is though.
I had a job on 11x17 20lb. Lindenmeyer told me I had to wait. My paper was somewhere in a container in the middle of the ocean. I think it was the problem with containers.
We use Lindenmeyr too. The paper situation is abysmal. We are a very small shop with tight margins and cashflow isn't the greatest, so we couldn't afford to buy a ton of paper before the end of the year. We did get some but we don't have a ton of warehouse space either, so we usually just buy what we can project for month to month unless it's something really special that we have a plan for. For example, we publish our own books as well, and we print the interiors on Mohawk Via Vellum 70# text warm white. We bought around ten cases a month or so ago because it needs to sit around for awhile to acclimate. It's really nice paper, but we just don't have the space for more than 10-15 cases.
We're also doing LFP in our shop and the material for roll-up stands is almost not available anywhere anymore. The stuff we currently ordered increased in price by 40%! It's crazy and only going to increase further. The industry as a whole has to prepare for bigger changes coming in my opinion.
It is crazy out there. My tag supplier just told me they can't get white tyvek for tags I ordered. So I'm gonna start looking for alternatives just in case.
We have the same issue here in the Chicago area at our print company. Coated is basically gone... Gloss text and coated gone... 110lb cougar gone... Envelopes are getting harder to find... I totally agree. The big guys are buying it all up. We have lindenmeyr in our area but don't use them. We use a company called Lewis paper. They have been rationing paper so it can't be bought up by all of the big companies, but they are having shortages as mentioned above. We have yet to have an issue with pivoting to an available paper, but as we all know some papers run/fold better than others. We use an offline booklet maker for making 8.5x11 books. Typically use navigator paper, but has to pivot when they were out. Our booklet maker folds and staples navigator great, but the new brand paper couldn't fold them. Our paper supplier rep said he does not see this going away anytime soon. I think this will put a strain on the smaller printers (like us and you) as we won't be able to get certain types of paper and I think most people who do not know any different will pivot, but it will result in a loss of jobs when there comes a day we can't get certain things. Much like a lot of small businesses being swallowed up by large, I think this issue will be much the same in the printing world. As well as people really deciding if they need things printed... Hopefully, some of these things get resolved soon. We are also starting to see the same types of issues for parts and supplies on our digital machines...
I have a little Offset Printing Company here in Germany and it´s absolut crazy. I can get only one Pallet of paper if i´m lucky. I run an Heidleberg XL105. So the Pallet is printed in about an houre or so. Than a big Online Printing Company has emailed me: If I suffer from a shortage of paper, no problem. We have filled our warehouses. Send us your orders and we will produce for you. So they can get the Paper first before the smaller companies get it...
With yearly jobs we run in the 10s of millions of pounds of paper. As a larger company I know we are seeing some of our stocks not in stock. I have been hearing from our account execs that some paper we won’t be able to get in time. For some of our news print jobs. We will have to see when the jobs hit I guess. But I do hope you have success with the American eagle paper. I know some of the employees there. But as I said before it can be hit or miss. We have had rolls from them come in with 3 or more milk splices. Had a roll that blew out on press. Went back to see what it was. It was a mill splice but they had 2 pieces of masking tape. When you think after years you have seen it all. But get surprised every day. Good luck keep the videos coming. I enjoy them every week.
Have you thought about trying to convince some customers to go with standard copy paper? I know it doesn't make sense for a nice book but for mailings it does. Keeping in mind that almost 100% of printed mailings will end up in the recycle or trash bin, you might be able to convince them to go with 20 lb copy paper for the "disposable" stuff and maybe price it accordingly. You may also want to try XpedX, they service the Harrisburg area, although I think they sold to another outfit but are still in camp hill.
Yes, no doubt it will come to that. I think many customers will be ok with copy paper just to have their job printed. Yes, I did check xpdex, now called veritiv. Same situation, sold out. Although another comment just said that they had paper available in their Lindemyer account.
wild indeed. i work for a print shop also relying mainly on LM and absolutely don't understand what the heck is happening in this industry. is it the mafia? is it amazon? it might be a reckoning akin to me-too, this time the outrage directed to all the wasted paper in bulk mailings.
We have been in the same boat having to source paper from all types of different companies and substitute for other weights etc since around October. In the 24 years I've been in the printing industry I've never seen anything like this. Our material cost in last year have also went up 40%. It's cloud Cuckoo Land.
I print books on a big ole web press. We usually buy 60# and 10 pt c1s. I have only been able to find 12 pt, but no 60#. I found some 50#, but need to buy a full container at 3 times my usual price. So I don’t know if I want to spend $50k on paper that my customers don’t want. It’s a crazy gamble.
Hi Dan... I am from Ukraine... the same problem here...no paper, and what is available just doubled in price... I wish I had invested all the money into paper 6 months before.
Hi, I really appreciate your video to know the standings in the USA. I'm the production manager for a print shop in Ottawa, ON, Canada. We've been having a hard time receiving stock since Oct. 2021. for cheap Asian paper. Once the highway in Vancouver went down due to environmental disaster I panicked as I figured all the paper was still in the port due to that ship that went sideways and created a backlog. We're only 15 employess, outputting offset & digital printing. We have a lot of square footage so I panic purchased from our everyday suppliers located near us. I didn't go crazy but I bought enough to have the usual in-house stocks for our repeat customers. Our Ottawa supplier only has 70lb gloss text 23x35 available and nothing else in a gloss text. I bought the rest of their 100lb gloss cover 25x38 this morning (12,000 sheets). I've spent my morning e-mailing the "world" trying to find paper which is how I came across your video to only realize how dire the situation is on a global scale. Reading the post below from "Classical Rips" makes a lot of sense. I had heard rumours that when Canada was in the major Covid Lockdown our paper mills were taking orders from the USA which bumped our orders once the lockdowns eased. The more I read it seems to be a lot of factors at play but all consequences of our governments actions over the last 2 years. I wish everyone luck moving forward. I hope we're all able to pull through!
I thought it was just me with a paper issue. I have to import mondi colour copy feon Germany because it's a 3rd of the price that UK suppliers try to charge me.
We just ran out of bog standard 24# Canary yellow. This is our slipsheet stock and used for mailer cover sheets and other things. Gone. There is a reorder point where we call the supplier for more. They have none. And we just hit a brick wall. Using other colors for now but we don't have much of those on hand because we don't need them, normally. Not sure what happens when all the colors are gone. Everybody has all their fancy disaster recovery plans but nobody has planned for no paper available.
Big problem Dan, so sorry. For us in DR we not have this problem yet because at the end of the year, there are a lot of companies on vacation. But, probable we start to have the paper shortage thar plus the KM toner shortage"s will be a headeach.
Dan, I have a print shop outside of Boston. Lindy has ZERO #10's or #9's in stock. I was lucky enough to snag 25k a couple weeks ago, but that will be gone in another week or so for me.. It is unreal!!!!
I think is a global issue. Here in Chile same issue - no printing paper, we can get only some uncoated in small quantities. Providers said there are no date for re-stock - maybe late February.
When paper is obsolete, strange things happen when you least expect it. It is a printer's "nightmare." As a keyboard specialist, I bought several cases of Office Max laser printer paper in 2013. I have approximately two cases left, each containing five reams. In 2018, I purchased 2 cases of Hammermill color laser printer paper. Each case contains 10 reams of paper. The one thing I have been purchasing more than paper is toner. I bought high-capacity toner cartridges. When things improve for you, you may decide to purchase 65-pound cover paper when things are going well, just to be extra prepared.
I work for a supermarket chain, we had a huge issue during the pandemic with getting supplies of beans, so people started buying more than the standard 1-2 cans, but rather were buying 10-11 cans, this just made the issue worse for all, and they couldn’t understand that we had a slow, but continuous supply, and if they just got what they normally did it would be available to all, it would stay in stock. - That being said, I don’t blame you for stocking up. 😊
In Costa Rica we have the same problem for News papper, glossy and matt 300grs, 150 grs, C14, C16 there is none in al the country and not much of C12 providers said until march everything will be good again
My company takes in a truckload a week, normally ordering several months in a row for weekly deliveries. We are having major issues even securing one or two truckloads, forget months of deliveries paid in advance. They won't take the order. We got in two trucks last week and crammed in skids anywhere they will fit, because we could get it and maybe nothing next week. Meanwhile we ran out of canary yellow and can't find any.
Also use Lyndenmeyer lol Also checking the site throughout the day. Don't use much 60# though... We've been struggling to get paper since October. We are ok for now (without hoarding) but we tried to contact another mill and they didn't have any of what we needed and said even if they did, they can't sell to us because we aren't a customer... Ok... So unfortunately we are going to have print jobs on what we have on the floor. Fingers crossed! We'll get through!
My father used to tell me that the internet is going to take over and eventually eliminate printing. 18 years in and and I've been confident he was wrong although I'm starting to second guess myself. If anything, these paper shortages if they continue and to get worse, could it force companies to go all paperless?
In trinidad 🇹🇹 printer are getting some paper stock but the also went up, all our suppliers are imported, so its hitting us hards especially the small printer.
In germany we have the same problems with paper. Some big printers may have contracts with distributors but I think they ended in December. But most of them have enough employees which can search the hole day for paper anywhere. Here in germany the big printer with paper gets the job - at any price. So they look after paper every day and buy the market. I am happy, that we now have solved the toner Problems with konica - now the paper challenge increases. They say the most paper lands in asia … I don‘t know … somehow I think they need arguments to increase the prices. To be honest - in the last 10-20 years the prices for paper didn‘t grow acc to the inflation - maybe this should be the way out?
Hii Dan, its been long time you have not uploaded any new video. I'm trying to reach out to you via mail unfortunately have not heard anything from you. Just want to know if you are okay.
I work for an RR something or other company and we are down to some funky hues or tones to the paper. Bottom of the barrel I suppose. With it comes a lot of static electricity for some reason. How do you deal with it? We have ozone makers fancy Christmas tinsel and static guard spray but the paper is still no fun to work with.
A lot of the paper mills have converted to paper board for packing because it’s demand skyrocketed. Then Covid hit and mills shut down due to an ill workforce.
@Jeff Toombs. ref. Paper mills switching to paper board (and recycled pulp going for corrugated cardboard). You can thank Jeff Bezos for that! Stay safe and well.
We've had to be very generic with our paper rating to our customers - instead of saying it's Hammermill 28# Colour Copy Digital, we're saying it's a 28# Bond. Period, full stop. Because International Paper seems to be allocating the Hammermill paper rather oddly, we're having to take whatever we can find just to get the jobs done. My large format area had to be thoroughly cleaned up just so we could make room to stockpile stuff we were able to get. It's sad that we're becoming hoarders but it's a necessity these days to just keep in business and keep revenue coming in the door. I for one feel quite sorry for our sales person at Spicers (our preferred paper distributor) because he's having to juggle so many different requests from his customers to keep them all running.
We are ok for paper where I work, paper suppliers a well stocked in my part of the uk, just toner from KM is hard to get, through the reps at KM are shockingly bad in getting back to us, days between emails and they hate answering the phone.
I’m looking for postcard paper that is coated on one side for inkjet prints and the other side with the lines and stamp window so you can write a message on it. However it is impossible these days to get hands on that kind paper since all printing services CMYK print these and coat them afterwards correct? I can’t seem to find any info online either. I just want to print some cool postcards at home with my canon pro-100s. My thought was let the printer do the backside printing and I can do the coated inkjet side at home. Any inside on that topic?
My supplier in the South is called MacPapers and it’s the same issue! Nothing available. Some odd brands and one of them called moorim wouldn’t fuse on my Ricoh.
@@bearpump I can’t get it to fuse at all. The prodigital text is much more slick than futura or blazer which were my main 2 text weight brands. I used to run Yupo on an indigo years ago.
Hi Dan.. Happy new year and Thank you, your channel is very helpful i have aproplem in konica c1060L The first copy is very good , after 30 copies, the yellow color increases by a small percentage, and after 50 copies, the degree of yellow color is high and continues to do so..Is there a solution to that?
In between prints, the machine lays patches of each colour down on the belt. A sensor then reads the patches and makes adjustments to the patches based on that reading. For whatever reason, the yellow patches are not being read correctly and the machine is increasing the yellow density in an effort to get the yellow patches to give a good reading (of course in reality it's going way beyond what's necessary but it can't see that). Look in the machine, the eyes are usually above the belt and often in an area that's fairly easy for the technician to access. Clean them off, make sure any shutters or slides are working easily and no return springs are damaged. Past cleaning them, you may need a replacement eye (if you're mechanically/electrically handy try swapping an eye and see if the problem moves to a different colour) or if your developer is old you may just need to replace it, because you might not be getting enough coverage for it to maintain itself.
I think the developer unit might be due. I'd check the life of the developer, developer unit, charge wires and drum. Replace anything that is over 150%
Will people die because there is no paper? Yes they will, when people lose their livelihoods, their businesses, it is devastating. When those in charge value ideology over all else, have no respect for or understanding of manufacturing, those are the consequences. There are solutions to the transportation problems which aren't being enacted, and we shouldn't be importing so many basic necessities in the first place.
What is the root cause if the shortage. Its is just hoarding thats the problem now. Maybe the suppliers should only sell limited amounts to each customer based on there buying habits from say 2019
I think there are probably a dozen issues that all combined are causing the problems. I think greed is a big problem. Paper manufactures will sell to the large companies to make more profit.
Come to Europe, there's plenty of paper! oh no, wait. everyone is on allocation and lead times are x3 normal. Supply does seem to be improving while the price has gone through the roof
her in montreal my boss cant get most paper roll for ploters and we purchased palets of hy qualey paper for or clients and i did a run in a lot of walmart and stapel to get al meny reeds of 28and 30 lb bound paper in lether tabloid and a3+ for my photo zine
@@justaprinter did you call your sales rep? They can ship from a different warehouse . Your login is only showing availability in your direct truck routes but the reps can make it work . I’m in the tri state so NJ and Long Island are stocked
If it's bad now, just wait for the impact of the 22,000 Canadian Truck Drivers who will not be able to cross the USA boarder due to the "Jab Mandate" for trucking entry into the USA. Most of the pulp if not the paper all comes from Canada!
While we certainly have a lot of people up here in Canada that are anti-vaxxers, we are far more likely to get the jab than what I've heard in the US. More worrisome is the fact there are just simply not enough truck drivers needed.
ok how is there legitimately a paper shortage? 50-100million trees get planted every month. It's not like they started doing this last year or something. I just find it hard to believe that there is a shortage of one of the most abundant resources on earth.
The amount of times I've gotten "Due to Allocation, we cannot supply you that paper" over the past 4 months has been beyond frustrating. I feel your pain working for a small shop
It is frustrating. We don't have many options for placed to buy paper either.
I work as an engineer at one of the largest integrated pulp and paper mills in the United States, and shortages have been hitting us hard which has been affecting our production. Oil/grease shortages are killing us and replacement parts for machines and industrial processes have insane lead times of 3 to 9 months these days. We can't do the maintenance and service that our facilities need, and it's leading to a lot of 4-6 hour break downs every few days. That lost production time adds up quick for a facility that is supposed to run 24/7. It's not going to get any better any time soon with the global petroleum situation getting even worse due to conflicts overseas. Our oil and grease suppliers are giving us quantities far, far below our contracted amounts to the point where we're not even sure how we are going to operate at all. It's not good news on the production side of things.
Yes, I figure it will be awhile until paper warehouses are full again!
I feel for you. I am in the same boat. In the past, paper was available next day and we all had mill reps visiting frequently, offering a broad range of options. Today it takes months to get paper, and the options are very narrow. Every printer will probably have a handful of papers we can get, and only be able to offer that. Hats off to you for publishing this video. The comments from everyone at least give us a sense we are not alone in these difficult times.
Well said! I agree its nice to hear many people are feeling the pain.
Our small family business is also going through the same thing. We are lucky that we have diversified our business and print other types of items. It is so frustrating though.
Agreed, we have been spoiled for the past 10 years! It will get better eventually, but will likely be rough for awhile yet.
I've been inside some industrial print plants lately. I do see big pallets of parent sized papers when I used to see very little. I also see giant paper rolls for the offset web presses in storage. The large printers do seem to be getting paper. The mom & pop shops are really getting screwed. They are not taking new jobs for fear of not getting paper.
Interesting findings. Yup, small guys are going to have a bumpy road ahead.
We had the same issue with 70lb in November that we needed for a yearly job we get. Our supplier only had 250 sheet packs of 12x18, so we got all they had left. It showed up not even in cases because apparently there's also a cardboard box shortage now. Even from the mill direct, paper for another job took us almost 6 weeks to get. It's crazy.
Oh wow! I wish it was easy to start making paper.
Dan I think the large printing companies have agreements or contracts in place with mills or distributors for paper. I’m sure the big boys are getting taken care of first and we’ll get whatever is left over.🤷♂️
I can tell you right now of a few 50 to 100+mm dollar companies that are being cut off COMPLETELY.
Not put on allocation, but cut off to zero.
On the other hand I am speaking to one printer, who's having his allocations increased.
He always paid mill asking price, has been consistently growing and keeps in good standing with the mills directly.
I think you are correct. He who has the most money will get paper.
@@justaprinter Yup. And guess who's going to be paying for it? The customer will.
I work for one of the world’s largest printers and I can tell you that isn’t true. We are having major issues getting paper.
@@robp9746 yeah I worked for RR Donnelly and wasn't sure if it was a issue for large companies.
Been doing this since 1992 and never have seen it this bad. I run a large university inplant and having a difficult time finding all kinds of supplies.
I keep telling myself some day I'll look back and talk about the great paper shortage. Its not going to be fun living through it though.
I’ve been fortunate here in Arizona. My supplier gets paper directly from California and we’ve been getting most everything we need. Couple things that are still hit or miss
Buy it up while you can!
Learned from my rep at one a major US paper mill - they are replenishing their more profitable papers first with the with economy papers maybe later in Q2. makes sense for them but hurts digital printers.
Oh no, thats not good.
My supplier has been pretty good about finding stuff for us, but it’s like a substitute of a substitute of a substitute. If I want one specific kind of paper, it’s usually like the 3rd or 4th substitute that they have. It’s crazy.
Best of luck finding paper!
I guess the paperless office never caught on.
One thing you should do is place your order even though the paper is not yet available. Most distributors are filling orders based upon those orders already in place. It is not first come first serve at least not with MacPapers.
Good idea, I'll have to try that!
This problem is worldwide I think. I'm watching you Dan from globe's other side, Europe. Here is the same problem with the paper. I have copy studio & office supply store (general- office papers and toners) and its hard to find or very often paper stocks are exhausted... not to mention their prices.. it's horrible all this situation.
Hopefully we can weather this storm!
It's printer self sabotage. Everyone chased the cheapest paper to race to the bottom on price in the industry. Mills shut down and replaced the paper made here, for mills in South Korea and mostly China. Now that all the paper is stuck off the coast in CA and in China. Printers today are now paying the price with shortages. This is why it is so important to buy American and to promote the understanding that printing isn't just "printing", it's manufacturing, and should be protected as such.
A lot of truth there. I should have been buying local Pennsylvania made paper all along. I might change the way I do things from now on.
My company uses US-made paper and cardboard boxes, exclusively. The owner is a veteran and this is an important thing for him. It is good paper and runs fine so it is all good. But the supplies are drying up. At times, we have run out of basic stocks like 24# plain white. They brought in emergency supplies to keep us going. Imported, because it was all they could get. It is cheaper than the usual paper but it has a blue hue issue and runs poorly. Nobody is happy with this stuff. We would rather have our American paper that costs more.
@Just A Printer. Hi Dan. Sorry to hear of the struggle you are having to get hold of paper stock for your business. I read recently in the U.K. trade publication "Printweek" that at a major UPM paper mill in Finland, the Finnish Papermakers' Union have gone on strike. Don't know how big a supply comes from that mill and here's hoping it doesn't spread to other UPM mills, but it will cause problems this side of the Pond and in Europe. Remember, when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Stay safe and well.
Wise words, thank you!
The big boys are feeling it also. We were told to fill up our warehouses, so that’s what we did. Theirs stuff we still can’t get. After 6-7 months we were able to get some 80# uncoated cvr. Now when we need to order our daily inventory of carbonless, we’re being told to just order what we need and we have to supply the big wigs how many sheets we use a month and how much we have on site and they need to approve it. Really stressing that they bought everything for x amount of dollars and if the prices drop how they will turn everything for a profit.
Wow, interesting. I'm glad I bought as much paper as I could afford.
We’re seeing the same thing (with a different cause) in the apparel printing industry. The BIG shops are buying semi trucks of tees before they hit distributers, they rest of us just see out of stock on certain skus for months. When things do become available, they sell out in hours. Clients are frustrated.
Wow, its going to become exhausting to constantly search for supplies and buy as much as you can when its available.
Hi Dan, we are having the same issue here in UK and paper prices are going up every month which is crazy. Most of our paper comes from Europe and there was a strike at one of the paper mills UPM in Finland.
I miss the good old days when I could order as much paper as I want. :)
Direct mail house here. We have been giving our customers limited choices. 24# text for envelope mailers. 100# cover for postcards. Envelopes have been a pain, but we’ve been ok. #9 envelopes are a huge pain. It is what it is though.
Yup, we should be able to survive, its just inconvenient!
I had a job on 11x17 20lb. Lindenmeyer told me I had to wait. My paper was somewhere in a container in the middle of the ocean. I think it was the problem with containers.
Yes, lindenmeyer is sold out of so much of their paper. 11 x 17 is hard to find.
Hello, I'm from Egypt 🇪🇬 , I have been watching your show 😀 and it's amazing 👏
Thanks for watching!
We use Lindenmeyr too. The paper situation is abysmal. We are a very small shop with tight margins and cashflow isn't the greatest, so we couldn't afford to buy a ton of paper before the end of the year. We did get some but we don't have a ton of warehouse space either, so we usually just buy what we can project for month to month unless it's something really special that we have a plan for. For example, we publish our own books as well, and we print the interiors on Mohawk Via Vellum 70# text warm white. We bought around ten cases a month or so ago because it needs to sit around for awhile to acclimate. It's really nice paper, but we just don't have the space for more than 10-15 cases.
Yes, Mohawk does make some nice paper. Hopefully this clears up soon!
We're also doing LFP in our shop and the material for roll-up stands is almost not available anywhere anymore. The stuff we currently ordered increased in price by 40%! It's crazy and only going to increase further. The industry as a whole has to prepare for bigger changes coming in my opinion.
I agree, this is going to hurt and we need to be smart about how we react to the changes.
It is crazy out there. My tag supplier just told me they can't get white tyvek for tags I ordered. So I'm gonna start looking for alternatives just in case.
Yup, only the tough, innovative printers will survive a complete paper shortage.
We have the same issue here in the Chicago area at our print company. Coated is basically gone... Gloss text and coated gone... 110lb cougar gone... Envelopes are getting harder to find...
I totally agree. The big guys are buying it all up. We have lindenmeyr in our area but don't use them. We use a company called Lewis paper. They have been rationing paper so it can't be bought up by all of the big companies, but they are having shortages as mentioned above.
We have yet to have an issue with pivoting to an available paper, but as we all know some papers run/fold better than others. We use an offline booklet maker for making 8.5x11 books. Typically use navigator paper, but has to pivot when they were out. Our booklet maker folds and staples navigator great, but the new brand paper couldn't fold them.
Our paper supplier rep said he does not see this going away anytime soon. I think this will put a strain on the smaller printers (like us and you) as we won't be able to get certain types of paper and I think most people who do not know any different will pivot, but it will result in a loss of jobs when there comes a day we can't get certain things.
Much like a lot of small businesses being swallowed up by large, I think this issue will be much the same in the printing world. As well as people really deciding if they need things printed... Hopefully, some of these things get resolved soon.
We are also starting to see the same types of issues for parts and supplies on our digital machines...
Thanks for commenting. I am excited to see how long this lasts and what we all look like at the end of the year!
I have a little Offset Printing Company here in Germany and it´s absolut crazy. I can get only one Pallet of paper if i´m lucky. I run an Heidleberg XL105. So the Pallet is printed in about an houre or so. Than a big Online Printing Company has emailed me: If I suffer from a shortage of paper, no problem. We have filled our warehouses. Send us your orders and we will produce for you. So they can get the Paper first before the smaller companies get it...
wow, schon halb schamlos finde ich..
Yes, thats what I figured has happened! Hopefully the small guys will survive!
With yearly jobs we run in the 10s of millions of pounds of paper. As a larger company I know we are seeing some of our stocks not in stock. I have been hearing from our account execs that some paper we won’t be able to get in time. For some of our news print jobs. We will have to see when the jobs hit I guess. But I do hope you have success with the American eagle paper. I know some of the employees there. But as I said before it can be hit or miss. We have had rolls from them come in with 3 or more milk splices. Had a roll that blew out on press. Went back to see what it was. It was a mill splice but they had 2 pieces of masking tape. When you think after years you have seen it all. But get surprised every day. Good luck keep the videos coming. I enjoy them every week.
Interesting, thanks for the comment, I enjoy them!
Have you thought about trying to convince some customers to go with standard copy paper? I know it doesn't make sense for a nice book but for mailings it does. Keeping in mind that almost 100% of printed mailings will end up in the recycle or trash bin, you might be able to convince them to go with 20 lb copy paper for the "disposable" stuff and maybe price it accordingly. You may also want to try XpedX, they service the Harrisburg area, although I think they sold to another outfit but are still in camp hill.
Yes, no doubt it will come to that. I think many customers will be ok with copy paper just to have their job printed. Yes, I did check xpdex, now called veritiv. Same situation, sold out. Although another comment just said that they had paper available in their Lindemyer account.
wild indeed. i work for a print shop also relying mainly on LM and absolutely don't understand what the heck is happening in this industry. is it the mafia? is it amazon? it might be a reckoning akin to me-too, this time the outrage directed to all the wasted paper in bulk mailings.
You and me both. I have not heard a good reason/excuse as to why paper is not available. It just doesn't make sense.
We have been in the same boat having to source paper from all types of different companies and substitute for other weights etc since around October. In the 24 years I've been in the printing industry I've never seen anything like this.
Our material cost in last year have also went up 40%. It's cloud Cuckoo Land.
Oh no! Not Cuckoo Land!
I print books on a big ole web press. We usually buy 60# and 10 pt c1s. I have only been able to find 12 pt, but no 60#. I found some 50#, but need to buy a full container at 3 times my usual price. So I don’t know if I want to spend $50k on paper that my customers don’t want. It’s a crazy gamble.
That is a predicament for sure! 3x the normal price is not good at all.
Hi Dan... I am from Ukraine... the same problem here...no paper, and what is available just doubled in price... I wish I had invested all the money into paper 6 months before.
Same, I thought I was responsible for buying 3x the paper I needed, but I should have bought it all!
@@justaprinter as one of my colleagues said: paper is a strong currency with no inflation risk - you always win if you invest into it.
Hi, I really appreciate your video to know the standings in the USA. I'm the production manager for a print shop in Ottawa, ON, Canada. We've been having a hard time receiving stock since Oct. 2021. for cheap Asian paper. Once the highway in Vancouver went down due to environmental disaster I panicked as I figured all the paper was still in the port due to that ship that went sideways and created a backlog. We're only 15 employess, outputting offset & digital printing. We have a lot of square footage so I panic purchased from our everyday suppliers located near us. I didn't go crazy but I bought enough to have the usual in-house stocks for our repeat customers. Our Ottawa supplier only has 70lb gloss text 23x35 available and nothing else in a gloss text. I bought the rest of their 100lb gloss cover 25x38 this morning (12,000 sheets). I've spent my morning e-mailing the "world" trying to find paper which is how I came across your video to only realize how dire the situation is on a global scale. Reading the post below from "Classical Rips" makes a lot of sense. I had heard rumours that when Canada was in the major Covid Lockdown our paper mills were taking orders from the USA which bumped our orders once the lockdowns eased. The more I read it seems to be a lot of factors at play but all consequences of our governments actions over the last 2 years. I wish everyone luck moving forward. I hope we're all able to pull through!
Yes, I hope the paper situation gets better soon, but I don't think it will.
Do you know a canadian supplier for Envelopes
I thought it was just me with a paper issue. I have to import mondi colour copy feon Germany because it's a 3rd of the price that UK suppliers try to charge me.
We just ran out of bog standard 24# Canary yellow. This is our slipsheet stock and used for mailer cover sheets and other things. Gone. There is a reorder point where we call the supplier for more. They have none. And we just hit a brick wall. Using other colors for now but we don't have much of those on hand because we don't need them, normally. Not sure what happens when all the colors are gone. Everybody has all their fancy disaster recovery plans but nobody has planned for no paper available.
Its true, we prep for many scenarios, but not paper shortage. Fascinating!
I’m worried this is gunna kill my company it’s insane this month we have to tell customers we can’t fulfill there orders
Yes, I think it's going to get worse.
Wow that’s crazy I worked for 15 years in a paper mill,we worked 7/24/365 can’t believe there is a paper shortage
Seriously! I think someone is playing with us.
Big problem Dan, so sorry. For us in DR we not have this problem yet because at the end of the year, there are a lot of companies on vacation. But, probable we start to have the paper shortage thar plus the KM toner shortage"s will be a headeach.
I'd suggest you buy a bunch of paper while its available.
@@justaprinter I will... but we have the hands tied without toners... 😔
Dan, I have a print shop outside of Boston. Lindy has ZERO #10's or #9's in stock. I was lucky enough to snag 25k a couple weeks ago, but that will be gone in another week or so for me.. It is unreal!!!!
Oh man, it seriously doesn't make sense why this is happening.
I think is a global issue. Here in Chile same issue - no printing paper, we can get only some uncoated in small quantities. Providers said there are no date for re-stock - maybe late February.
I'm just going to assume that when I run out, paper still wont be available for awhile.
Same in Poland, no paper and there is no perpective for new delivery. Prices went 100% up and it is increasing further..
This is going to have lasting effects on the industry!
We’ve been cutting parent sized down now for a month…. We normally order between 8-12 pallets a month of 8.5 x 11, 60#.
I miss my cut-size sheet!
Yeah I have been having a hard time to get 16pt c1s and c2s of 13x19
Same, last month I bought a pallet of folio 12pt c1s and now its all gone.
When paper is obsolete, strange things happen when you least expect it. It is a printer's "nightmare." As a keyboard specialist, I bought several cases of Office Max laser printer paper in 2013. I have approximately two cases left, each containing five reams. In 2018, I purchased 2 cases of Hammermill color laser printer paper. Each case contains 10 reams of paper. The one thing I have been purchasing more than paper is toner. I bought high-capacity toner cartridges. When things improve for you, you may decide to purchase 65-pound cover paper when things are going well, just to be extra prepared.
I have stocked up on several weights of paper. I will survive. :)
@@justaprinter Thank you for courteously replying to my comment. You can keyboard as well as me.
I work for a supermarket chain, we had a huge issue during the pandemic with getting supplies of beans, so people started buying more than the standard 1-2 cans, but rather were buying 10-11 cans, this just made the issue worse for all, and they couldn’t understand that we had a slow, but continuous supply, and if they just got what they normally did it would be available to all, it would stay in stock. - That being said, I don’t blame you for stocking up. 😊
Oh man! People are crazy!
In Costa Rica we have the same problem for News papper, glossy and matt 300grs, 150 grs, C14, C16 there is none in al the country and not much of C12 providers said until march everything will be good again
Oh boy! Good luck!
where are you buying your paper now in this shortage> what types for 80 lb gloss cover 13 x 19 and 24 lb text ?
Lindenmeyr Munro is where I buy my paper.
can you order a truck load at a time? it comes down to space and money to do it.
I can, but I'm assuming anyone I contact right now will just laugh at my request. Its worth a shot though.
My company takes in a truckload a week, normally ordering several months in a row for weekly deliveries. We are having major issues even securing one or two truckloads, forget months of deliveries paid in advance. They won't take the order. We got in two trucks last week and crammed in skids anywhere they will fit, because we could get it and maybe nothing next week. Meanwhile we ran out of canary yellow and can't find any.
Also use Lyndenmeyer lol Also checking the site throughout the day. Don't use much 60# though... We've been struggling to get paper since October. We are ok for now (without hoarding) but we tried to contact another mill and they didn't have any of what we needed and said even if they did, they can't sell to us because we aren't a customer... Ok... So unfortunately we are going to have print jobs on what we have on the floor. Fingers crossed! We'll get through!
It might not be fun, but we can survive. It still doesn't make sense that no paper is available. I cannot believe it!
I am watching from Mizoram India
My father used to tell me that the internet is going to take over and eventually eliminate printing. 18 years in and and I've been confident he was wrong although I'm starting to second guess myself.
If anything, these paper shortages if they continue and to get worse, could it force companies to go all paperless?
Good point. Lets not think about a paperless world. :(
In trinidad 🇹🇹 printer are getting some paper stock but the also went up, all our suppliers are imported, so its hitting us hards especially the small printer.
Seems to be a worldwide problem!
Where do you get your paper from?
Lindenmeyr Munroe
In germany we have the same problems with paper. Some big printers may have contracts with distributors but I think they ended in December. But most of them have enough employees which can search the hole day for paper anywhere. Here in germany the big printer with paper gets the job - at any price. So they look after paper every day and buy the market. I am happy, that we now have solved the toner Problems with konica - now the paper challenge increases. They say the most paper lands in asia … I don‘t know … somehow I think they need arguments to increase the prices. To be honest - in the last 10-20 years the prices for paper didn‘t grow acc to the inflation - maybe this should be the way out?
Thats a great point. Paper price has been the same for a long time here too.
I'm a pressman for a large sheetfed commercial printing company and we can't get 60# offset right now.
Its gonna get worse I think.
Hii Dan, its been long time you have not uploaded any new video. I'm trying to reach out to you via mail unfortunately have not heard anything from you. Just want to know if you are okay.
What paper would u recommend for a planner that is smooth w no bleed through
Id say 80 lb text, maybe even 100lb text
I work for an RR something or other company and we are down to some funky hues or tones to the paper. Bottom of the barrel I suppose. With it comes a lot of static electricity for some reason. How do you deal with it? We have ozone makers fancy Christmas tinsel and static guard spray but the paper is still no fun to work with.
I have noticed a lot of static on some new stocks I'm running too. I have just used tinsel to help, or I just live with it!
paper shortage is normal in Viet Nam, sometime Couche, sometime Ivory, we depend to much on China suppliers.
Interesting. Maybe it will be a new normal for the US now. Good luck!
And the paper mills locally keep shutting down..... Hmmmm....
Makes you wonder if this is intentional.
A lot of the paper mills have converted to paper board for packing because it’s demand skyrocketed. Then Covid hit and mills shut down due to an ill workforce.
@Jeff Toombs. ref. Paper mills switching to paper board (and recycled pulp going for corrugated cardboard). You can thank Jeff Bezos for that! Stay safe and well.
Sri lanka Is the same situation really sad, And the price is dubble in just 6 months 😢,,
I was afraid of that. I hope it doesn't double here.
@@justaprinter now it increased 150% 😓 i don't know what to do.
We've had to be very generic with our paper rating to our customers - instead of saying it's Hammermill 28# Colour Copy Digital, we're saying it's a 28# Bond. Period, full stop. Because International Paper seems to be allocating the Hammermill paper rather oddly, we're having to take whatever we can find just to get the jobs done. My large format area had to be thoroughly cleaned up just so we could make room to stockpile stuff we were able to get. It's sad that we're becoming hoarders but it's a necessity these days to just keep in business and keep revenue coming in the door. I for one feel quite sorry for our sales person at Spicers (our preferred paper distributor) because he's having to juggle so many different requests from his customers to keep them all running.
Yes, I feel bad for the paper distributors too. I'm sure they are dealing with angry people.
We are ok for paper where I work, paper suppliers a well stocked in my part of the uk, just toner from KM is hard to get, through the reps at KM are shockingly bad in getting back to us, days between emails and they hate answering the phone.
Yes, I have run into the bad communication with Konica too!
hey dan do you get dust from cuts in the machine.
Yup, there is lots of dust.
Usa print is still on fire , we in uk are up and down try European market for paper 👍
I’m looking for postcard paper that is coated on one side for inkjet prints and the other side with the lines and stamp window so you can write a message on it. However it is impossible these days to get hands on that kind paper since all printing services CMYK print these and coat them afterwards correct? I can’t seem to find any info online either. I just want to print some cool postcards at home with my canon pro-100s. My thought was let the printer do the backside printing and I can do the coated inkjet side at home. Any inside on that topic?
You can buy coated one side paper or C1S. A 12 pt or 14 pt c1s would work for you.
You appear to be a one-man print shop how can you possibly take any vacation time
Yes we in india very high hike due to shortage around plus 60% hike.
Take as 1 dollar per kg to 1.6 dollar per kgs
Bummer! Sorry to hear that!
My supplier in the South is called MacPapers and it’s the same issue! Nothing available. Some odd brands and one of them called moorim wouldn’t fuse on my Ricoh.
Oh man!
call annoucement converters in florida
@@supernerd7093 i do quite a bit for my more specialty papers. They are only a few hours away from me. Even 4over is hurtin for some products.
Moorim runs well in Indigo’s.
@@bearpump I can’t get it to fuse at all. The prodigital text is much more slick than futura or blazer which were my main 2 text weight brands. I used to run Yupo on an indigo years ago.
are you using 60 lb paper for text?
Yes
I have basic concepts in Kyocera
I have never ran a Kyocera
Hi dear, you work only on your factory ? I appreciate you a lot.
Yes I do
Hi Dan..
Happy new year and Thank you, your channel is very helpful
i have aproplem in konica c1060L
The first copy is very good , after 30 copies, the yellow color increases by a small percentage, and after 50 copies, the degree of yellow color is high and continues to do so..Is there a solution to that?
Dusty Corona
Developer unit might have arrived for a replacement ??
I'm just guessing !
In between prints, the machine lays patches of each colour down on the belt. A sensor then reads the patches and makes adjustments to the patches based on that reading. For whatever reason, the yellow patches are not being read correctly and the machine is increasing the yellow density in an effort to get the yellow patches to give a good reading (of course in reality it's going way beyond what's necessary but it can't see that). Look in the machine, the eyes are usually above the belt and often in an area that's fairly easy for the technician to access. Clean them off, make sure any shutters or slides are working easily and no return springs are damaged. Past cleaning them, you may need a replacement eye (if you're mechanically/electrically handy try swapping an eye and see if the problem moves to a different colour) or if your developer is old you may just need to replace it, because you might not be getting enough coverage for it to maintain itself.
I think the developer unit might be due. I'd check the life of the developer, developer unit, charge wires and drum. Replace anything that is over 150%
Will people die because there is no paper? Yes they will, when people lose their livelihoods, their businesses, it is devastating. When those in charge value ideology over all else, have no respect for or understanding of manufacturing, those are the consequences. There are solutions to the transportation problems which aren't being enacted, and we shouldn't be importing so many basic necessities in the first place.
I agree 100% This could be solved!
As if the toner shortage wasn't bad enough.....
I know! Seriously.
We used to be a week out on toner, last order took a month!
Konica Minolta uses the company's machine,But why not use Xerox machine.......I would be happy to know the reason.......I am from India..
I can easily repair the Konica machine and buy parts for them.
@@justaprinter 👍👍👍👍
What is the root cause if the shortage. Its is just hoarding thats the problem now. Maybe the suppliers should only sell limited amounts to each customer based on there buying habits from say 2019
I think there are probably a dozen issues that all combined are causing the problems. I think greed is a big problem. Paper manufactures will sell to the large companies to make more profit.
how is the envelope supply?
It sucks!
Not good at all. Luckily I have local envelope printers that seem to have plenty.
They redirected the resources to make toilet paper probably lol
Probably!
Come to Europe, there's plenty of paper! oh no, wait. everyone is on allocation and lead times are x3 normal. Supply does seem to be improving while the price has gone through the roof
That is not good!
her in montreal my boss cant get most paper roll for ploters and we purchased palets of hy qualey paper for or clients and i did a run in a lot of walmart and stapel to get al meny reeds of 28and 30 lb bound paper in lether tabloid and a3+ for my photo zine
Oh man. Good luck as you navigate this difficult situation!
Paper is like medical care
I cannot live without it! :)
It matters greatly who is in office.
For many years I told myself it doesn't matter that much, but I'm wondering if I should reevaluate that.
I’m showing plenty of inventory for soporset 60# both folio and cutsheet under my login
What I can’t find however is 12x18 I’ve had to up to 13x19 recently
Oh man! I want to have your login. Maybe I have been restricted!
@@justaprinter did you call your sales rep? They can ship from a different warehouse . Your login is only showing availability in your direct truck routes but the reps can make it work . I’m in the tri state so NJ and Long Island are stocked
I'm a Printing Operator,how to apply your company
Sorry, not hiring right now.
The toner shortage is dead, long live the paper shortage
LOL. HIlarious!
If it's bad now, just wait for the impact of the 22,000 Canadian Truck Drivers who will not be able to cross the USA boarder due to the "Jab Mandate" for trucking entry into the USA. Most of the pulp if not the paper all comes from Canada!
Oh boy! I'm surprised news outlets are starting to talk about it. Well, maybe hey are, I have not been watching the news.
While we certainly have a lot of people up here in Canada that are anti-vaxxers, we are far more likely to get the jab than what I've heard in the US. More worrisome is the fact there are just simply not enough truck drivers needed.
Hi,
I am running a business of printing in india
Do you have any job opportunities for me there
Not currently, sorry!
Its kinda the same in europe , not that bad but i think we are getting there too
Oh boy. I think, I'm going to be talking about paper in many upcoming videos. :)
@@justaprinter yeah crazy times
Hello sir, I can export 60 lb paper from India. Can I contact you for it?
I am hopeful that paper will arrive before I run out. Thanks anyways.
changing all the paper words to gpu, lol
Hahaha
Big print even bought paper mills
Oh wow. Yes, paper prodcution in the US is also monopolized.
I like alot machines ,can you employ me atlist I expand my mind
Sorry, I am not hiring.
Hello
Hi!
Paper please
Pretty please.
Do offer certificate on 👆 ?
Let me have an email please!
justaprinterman@gmail.com
کیا تم سچ میں یہ سارا کام اکیئے کرتے ہو ?
جی ہاں. جم کی رکنیت کی ضرورت نہیں ہے۔
@@justaprinter اللہ آپ کو اچھی صحت دے
ok how is there legitimately a paper shortage? 50-100million trees get planted every month. It's not like they started doing this last year or something. I just find it hard to believe that there is a shortage of one of the most abundant resources on earth.
Agreed, it doesn't make sense.