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IN THIS ISSUE:



INDUSTRY NEWS

MILL NEWS



PRINTING NEWS

PACKAGING NEWS
Issue 429, March 23, 2017

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THE CHOICE THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE


Millcraft's buy & give non-profit giving program donated more than $94,000 in 2016 to its nine designated regional charities in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Kentucky! Visit the buy & give Facebook page to find out more about our eight designated charity beneficiaries.  

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MILLCRAFT'S "IN STOCK"



Read Millcraft's quarterly industry magazine "In Stock" on line for insight into the paper, packaging and graphic arts industry
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INDUSTRY NEWS

 

AF&PA Releases February 2017 Boxboard and Containerboard Reports

Source:   American Forest & Paper Association, March 17, 2017
  
     The American Forest & Paper Association released its February 2017 U.S. Boxboard and Containerboard Monthly reports last week.

Total boxboard production decreased 2.3 percent when compared to February 2016, and decreased 7.5 percent from last month. Unbleached Kraft Boxboard production decreased over the same month as last year and decreased compared to last month. Total Solid Bleached Boxboard & Liner production increased when compared to February 2016, but decreased compared to last month. The production of Recycled Boxboard decreased compared to February 2016, and decreased when compared to last month.
 
Containerboard production was 0.7 percent higher compared to February 2016. The month-over-month average daily production compared to January 2017 was 0.5 percent lower. The containerboard operating rate for February increased from 96.5 percent to 97.8 percent, which was 4.0 percent higher compared to February of last year.


Read full articles.


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AF&PA Releases February 2017 Printing-Writing Paper Report

Source:  American Forest & Paper Association, March 22, 2017

     According to the American Forest & Paper Association's newly released February 2017 Printing-Writing Paper Report, total printing-writing paper shipments decreased 8% in February compared to February 2016. Total printing-writing paper inventory levels were flat from January 2017.
  • Uncoated free sheet (UFS) paper shipments decreased 6% year-over-year in February. UFS imports increased 9% in January compared to January 2016, with exports decreasing 5% year-over-year in January.
  • February coated free sheet (CFS) paper shipments decreased 8% compared to February 2016. Imports of CFS papers increased 5% year-over-year in January, and exports increased 2% in January relative to the previous year.
  • Uncoated mechanical (UM) paper shipments decreased 23% in February compared to February 2016. Imports of UM increased 11% in January, with exports of UM in January increasing 17%.
  • Coated mechanical (CM) shipments in February decreased 8% when compared to February 2016. Imports of CM decreased 3% in January compared to January 2016, and exports increased 13% in January relative to the previous year.

Read full article.





AF&PA Statement on Mark Up of House Postal Reform Act

Source:  Donna Harman, President and CEO, American Forest & Paper Association, March 16, 2017

    American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) President and CEO Donna Harman issued the following statement regarding last week's passage of the Postal Service Reform Act of 2017 in the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

“We appreciate Chairman Chaffetz and Ranking Member Cummings’ leadership on the introduction of legislation aimed at improving the financial viability of the U.S. Postal Service. AF&PA’s top priority in comprehensive postal reform is rate stability and customer service if mail is to compete with ever-increasing options to reach consumers. We support legislative measures that help the USPS achieve long-term viability by realigning its outdated cost structure, encouraging new revenue sources, and leveraging its unique infrastructure to meet the service needs of future customers.

“While we agree that USPS must seek ways to grow revenue and innovate to increase its value to customers, it is equally important that future postal rates enable the mail to be a cost competitive option for business-related communications, which represent 90 percent of mail volume. 


Continue reading full statement.

MILL NEWS


Find Your Utopia with Appleton Coated’s New Swatchbook

Source:  Appleton Coated, March 23, 2017

     Appleton Coated’s new Find Your Utopia swatchbook helps corporations, designers, and printers map their creative course with the power of print. The swatchbook guides users towards the best Utopia coated paper for their projects. It also powerfully showcases print excellence on all grades and finishes. 

The swatchbook explains the entire Utopia family of five high-quality coated paper grades: 

Utopia® Premium in Gloss and Silk – An exceptionally smooth, uniform surface with a balanced blue-white shade favored by artists and galleries for fine art and photography reproduction. The only USA-made 150 lb coated cover. FSC® certified (FSC® C007796), and Green-e® certified Green Power – all standard, no upcharge

Utopia U1X® in Gloss, Silk, and Matte – The brightest Utopia we make. Ultra-bright blue-whiteness for extra image “pop”. Remarkable smoothness provides uniform light reflection for greater clarity and very smooth ink lay. FSC certified, minimum 20% PCRF, Green-e certified Green Power – all standard, no upcharge

Utopia U2:XG® in Gloss, Dull, Matte, and Ivory Matte – Versatile and dependable with an environmental pedigree supporting sustainability initiatives without compromise. Clean blue-white shade, FSC certified, minimum 30% PCRF, Green-e certified Green Power – All standard, no upcharge

Utopia Two® in Gloss, Dull, and Matte – dependable and economical in a blue-white shade delivering performance and value for high-volume projects that need true-to-life reproduction. FSC certified, minimum 10% PCRF, Green-e certified Green Power – all standard, no upcharge

Utopia Three® in Matte and Gloss – made-to-order for high-volume print projects requiring reliable performance and competitive value. Matte sheets FSC certified – standard, no upcharge 

Ferkó X. Goldinger, Appleton Coated’s marketing manager, says, “The entire Utopia product line is made in the USA at our mill. Its complete range of matching text and cover weights, in extra bright white, blue-white, and warm ivory shades, delivers the right solution for every project and budget. It offers reliable, consistent performance and the smoothest, most uniform surface available today. Plus, all grades are Lacey Act compliant and all are acid-free, pH neutral, and elemental chlorine-free.” 

For a copy of the new swatchbook, Just ask your Millcraft account manager.

Read full article.


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Verso Announces 92-Bright Anthem Plus® Coated Paper

Source:  Verso Corporation, March 22, 2017

     Verso Corporation has introduced a new promotion titled Anthem Plus®. The American Workhorse. PUT US TO WORK., featuring its brighter, whiter Anthem Plus® economy coated paper.

"Anthem Plus® is the all-American economy coated paper with all the qualities and performance commercial printers want, at the price they need," said Verso President of Graphic Papers Mike Weinhold. "It has 92-bright, blue-white optics in gloss, dull and matte/satin, from 60 lb. text to 130 lb. cover. It also offers USPS-compliant 7 pt. and 9 pt. weights and a matching digital product, Blazer Digital®. Anthem Plus® has all of these attributes and is made with pride right here in the U.S., supporting local economies and American jobs. That's why it's become known as the American Workhorse."

Anthem Plus®. The American Workhorse. PUT US TO WORK. demonstrates the print quality of Anthem Plus® Gloss 100 lb. text and Matte/Satin 100 lb. cover and walks through all of the advantages of an American-made coated paper that is hard working, bright, versatile and economically priced.

Anthem Plus® has the flexibility to perform in virtually every sheetfed printing application, including direct mail, brochures, catalogs, posters, newsletters, calendars, bill stuffers, flyers and manuals. It is available with post-consumer recycled fiber, complies with Lacey Act requirements and is chain-of-custody tri-certified to the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®), BV-COC-953662; Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification™ (PEFC™), BV-PEFCCOC-US09000012; and Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®), BV-SFICOC-US09000011.

To learn more about Anthem Plus® Just ask. your MIllcraft account manager.

Read full article.

     
PRINTING NEWS

 

New Interactive Local Print Production Dashboard

Source: Printing Industries of America, March 23, 2017

     PIA’s Center for Print Economics and Management has created an interactive dashboard on printing shipments produced in nearly every county in the United States. The valuable information in this dashboard allows printers to evaluate local shipments and determine market share potentials. For industry suppliers, the system provides immediate insight into local market opportunities. The information is based upon the most recently released data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s County Business Patterns Database and is subject to the counties identified as having a printer coded as NAICS 323 according to the U.S Census Bureau.

Key features of the Local Print Production Dashboard include:
  • Shipment values by easy-to-understand gradient color variants
  • The ability to zoom in to a key area
  • Full access to all counties (an exclusive PIA member benefit)
  • Intuitive map-based navigation
Anyone can access a limited version of the map by visiting www.printing.org/interactive-printing-and-related-support-shipments-dashboard-preview. Members of Printing Industries of America and its affiliates can access the full version by using their member login information.

Read full article.


PACKAGING NEWS

 

Neenah Packaging Partners with CODO Design to Publish the “Craft Beer Branding Guide”

Source:   Neenah Packaging, March 20, 2017

     NEENAH Packaging has partnered with Indianapolis-based CODO Design to publish the Craft Beer Branding Guide: A step-by-step guide to branding your brewery, telling your story and selling a helluva lot of beer. The book is free, and it’s available now.

Isaac Arthur and Cody Fague, founders of CODO Design, have worked with breweries all over the country (and increasingly, the world) on their branding, packaging, web design, and marketing. After years of working in the field they decided to gather their insights and learnings and create an online resource for people to use… for free. And thus, the online Craft Beer Branding Guide was born.

Ellen Bliske, Senior Brand Manager, NEENAH Packaging, visited the site and immediately saw an opportunity to partner with CODO to create the printed version. “New breweries are opening at a rate greater than one per day in the US. Simply brewing great beer doesn’t mean your brand will stand out at shelf in this rapidly expanding market. So we approached CODO with the idea to print and publish this tool, and make it available — for free — for brewers, brand owners, and designers who are entering or specializing in this market. We are thrilled with the result of the collaboration. Whether you are defining your brand values, developing your marketing strategy, or even selecting your brand’s name, the Craft Beer Branding Guide takes a look at every step from a branding perspective,” said Bliske.

The availability of the guide coincides with the launch of NEENAH Packaging’s expansion of its BELLA® Label Papers line, some of which are featured as real life samples in the book. The uncoated natural feel of BELLA provides an authentic, hand crafted look, helping brands create a distinct and compelling presence on shelf.


Read full article.


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NEENAH Packaging Releases New BELLA Label Papers Designed for Performance on Press and in Bottling Lines

Source: NEENAH Packaging, March 16, 2017 

     NEENAH Packaging has expanded its BELLA® Label Papers line with new label papers designed for efficient, reliable performance on high-speed premium beer bottling lines.

“We wanted to combine the beautiful handcrafted texture of an uncoated wet strength label with the demanding performance required of beer bottling lines. The new lighter weights in BELLA Label bridge that gap in the market,” said Ellen Bliske, Senior Brand Manager, NEENAH Packaging.

BELLA Label Papers perform extremely well on high-speed presses and labeling lines. These high-performance papers easily accept a variety of common production techniques such as offset and flexographic printing, embossing, die cutting, foil stamping, and letterpress. The portfolio includes White and Natural shades available in Burlap, Smooth, Laid and Vellum finishes; creating an ideal surface to carry brand stories.

“The uncoated natural feel of BELLA provides an authentic, handcrafted look, which helps brands create a distinct and compelling presence on shelf. The reliability of its performance assures a strong delivery of the brand message throughout the consumer’s engagement with the brand,” said Bliske.

Now the BELLA Label Brand is featured in its own swatchbook to highlight the line’s unique performance strengths and capabilities. See the complete product line and printed label samples in the new BELLA Label Papers swatchbook. 

For a copy of the BELLA Label swatchbook, Just ask your Millcraft account manager.


Continue reading full article.


MEDIA NEWS

 

Bell and Howell Introduces List of Top Direct Mail Service Providers

Source:   Bell and Howell, March 22, 2017 

     According to the United States Postal Service, $57 billion was spent in 2016 on direct mail marketing – including printing and mailing, postage, and related data services. And USPS delivered 81 billion pieces of direct mail to U.S. consumers, representing roughly 53 percent of all mailpieces. The vast majority of these mailpieces are produced by direct mail service providers. For the first time, Bell and Howell has compiled and released the DM200a ranking of the top 200 direct mail service providers in the United States. 

“We are pleased to introduce the DM200 to the industry,” said Bell and Howell CEO Ramesh L. Ratan. “We intend for it to become an annual fixture, and this year’s results will serve as an essential print-and-mail benchmark for years to come.”

The research was led by Bell and Howell Senior Director Haroon Abbu, Ph.D.

“Printers that provide direct mail services are growing faster than those that do not offer them – at about 8 percent versus 1 percent, respectively,” Abbu said. “Direct mail continues to be a very dynamic space, and it provides numerous opportunities for traditional print providers to expand into a broad range of new mail-related services. We will be watching over the coming years to see which of these companies will prosper and if that can be attributed to expanded direct mail service offerings.”

View the full DM200 list, including total revenue, direct marketing revenue and other information on each company, here.


Read full article.


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Tribeca Film Festival Partners with New York Mag on Exclusive Print Insert

Source:  Greg Dool, Folio, March 6, 2017

     As part of an effort to go digital in its sixteenth year, the Tribeca Film Festival is embracing the power of print.

The March 6–19 issue of New York magazine, gracing newsstands all over the city today with a smiling, bearded David Letterman, includes a five-panel, accordion-folded insert promoting everything festivalgoers need to know heading into the 2017 edition — the program, the venues, the hashtags, a map, and, of course, the official Tribeca smartphone app — all presented in a delightfully quirky subway-themed layout by artist Joseph Veazey.

"I think it's all about the high-low, the yin-yang," Tribeca CEO Andrew Essex tells Folio:. "We are making the shift to mobile, and that’s obviously necessary and it provides tremendous utility, but we also wanted to do something that was surprising and delightful. Print is at its best when it’s sensual. So the idea was to do something so spectacular, so completely charming and wonderful."

In short, the perforated insert delivers for many of the same reasons as the Adam Moss-led bi-weekly in which it appears. Nestled between a page within the magazine's "Best of New York" section and a full-page ad by Tribeca presenting sponsor AT&T, it both literally and figuratively jumps out of the book, combining striking design with a surprising amount of information in a way that subverts the reader's expectations for the experience of browsing a print magazine.

"We want to make something that adds value to people's lives," Essex continues. "It's not disposable. You get your reach and scale and utility with mobile, and you get something special and tangible with print."


Read full article.


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Video: The Future Of Customer Communications In The Financial Services Industry

Source:  What They Think, March 22, 2017

     Matt Swain, Senior Director at InfoTrends, talks with WhatTheyThink Senior Editor Cary Sherburne about the latest trends in customer communications, some of which is driven by financial technology that is enabling more voice-driven communications. Consumers have increasingly demanding expectations about how they interact with financial services providers, including optimized print communications.


Watch video here.

SUSTAINABILITY NEWS

 

Well-Managed Forests are Key to a Low Carbon Future

Source: Two Sides North America, March 21, 2017

     This week we celebrated the United Nations' International Day of Forests on March 21st with the theme of "Forests and Energy".

Climate change, caused by increasing levels of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere, is a key challenge due to changes in global temperatures and precipitation patterns that affect regions and countries around the world.

There is growing awareness of the potential for a wider use of the forest industry to store carbon and lower GHG emissions.  This is due to the recent 2015 Paris Agreement that recognizes the mitigation potential of forests to meet the challenges of climate change. For countries covered by the Kyoto protocol, GHG emission accounting for forest management has also become mandatory and recent changes in IPCC guidelines allows for accounting of carbon storage in harvested wood products.

"Forestry for a low-carbon future: Integrating forests and wood products in climate change strategies" published by the FAO in 2016 describes the valuable role that forests and harvested wood products can play in storing carbon and reducing CO2 emissions in both developed and developing countries. The report suggests that “a virtuous cycle can be enacted” since growth of sustainably managed forests increases removals of carbon from the atmosphere while augmenting the supply of wood products that can replace more carbon-intense products.

Key opportunities for climate change mitigation include: wood energy, wood-based building materials, reduced deforestation and improved forest management practices.


Continue reading full article.

IN OTHER NEWS

 

U.S. Postal Service 2017 Tactile, Sensory, & Interactive Promotion

Source:   U.S. Postal Service, February 2017

     This U.S. Postal Service direct mail promotion leverages some of the latest technological advances within the print industry, providing marketers with exciting new ways to enhance and encourage sensory engagement with a mailpiece. The print industry has been innovative not only in print production equipment, but the fundamental elements of mail itself through new developments in papers/stocks, substrates, finishing techniques and inks. These elements can be incorporated to engage in a multi-sensory experience through the use of special visual effects, sound, scent, texture/tactile treatments and even taste.

Promotion runs February 1 through July 31, 2017
Registration: December 15 – July 31, 2017


Click here to learn more about the Tactile, Sensory and Interactive Promotion, or email questions to: TactileSensoryPromo@usps.gov.



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Is the pen mightier than the keyboard?

Source:  Mashable, March 15, 2017

     Yes, according to two Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) scientists, who say that using a pen triggers the brain in a way that makes it more ready to learn. 

During a two-month-long research project, neuropsychologists Audrey van der Meer and Ruud van der Weel studied brain activity in subjects typing and taking notes by hand.  Subjects wore electroencephalography (EEG) nets with some 256 sensors on each, while typing a description of a word, then using a pen to draw it.

"When the students were drawing the word we saw that the brain was active in larger areas and also in a very particular way that is indicative of being beneficial for learning," said van der Weel.

van der Meer added that using a pen in the process of writing or drawing is often slower than typing — forcing people to process what they're hearing or seeing, compared with passively typing.  "When you're writing you can't write so fast so then you have to kind of process the information and select what to write, so there's some processing [taking place] instead of merely copying," she said.


Read full article.


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Send a Printed Greeting Card to a Cleveland Clinic Patient
Source:  Cleveland Clinic

     Cleveland Clinic now offers a free, online greeting card service for family members and friends of hospital patients. To design your card, simply complete and submit this form, and the Clinic will see that your card is printed and hand-delivered by one of its many volunteers.

 
            
Visit Millcraft's website or contact Susan Morgan, Millcraft's Corporate Projects Manager, for additional information on Millcraft's business awards and national diversity and environmental certifications.
Copyright © 2017 The Millcraft Paper Company, All rights reserved.


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