Special Report: Paper

Trim, Trim & Trim Some More
Catalogers have responded in familiar fashion by trimming the sizes of their publications in combination with decreasing basis weights. In reaction to prior price increases, catalogers printing on 70-lb and 80-lb free sheets moved down to coated blend and mechanical products, points out Don Wallace, vice president of commercial printing sales at paper supplier AbitibiBowater. This is happening again. Those who were printing on 40-lb coated mechanical can now explore their options on supercalendered (SC)-A and SC-B. (SC paper is calendered groundwood paper made using alternating chrome and fiber rollers that makes a very smooth, thin sheet.) Or those on coated free sheets can drop to coated mechanical products.