🖨️ Print Industry Roundup: Seven developments shaping print and packaging that caught my eye recently

🖨️ Print Industry Roundup: Seven developments shaping print and packaging over the past few weeks that caught my eye.

North American recovered paper markets are softening this summer, with lower prices recorded in almost all regions, particularly for OCC and mixed paper. According to BIR's World Mirror report, "domestic mills in the U.S. are backing off their orders and are even trying to turn away contracted tonnage because of lower demand." Combined with permanent mill shutdowns and tariff-led reduction in consumer spending, the market faces what one industry veteran calls "structural downturn." This creates a different challenge for converters how to time purchases when the trend is your friend, but volatility remains high. Recycling Today 

Landa Digital Printing filed for bankruptcy with roughly $516 million in debt. This one hits different because Benny Landa created the Indigo technology that HP turned into a digital printing powerhouse. This looks more like mismanagement than technology failure. HP is reportedly positioned to acquire the tech through bankruptcy, which makes sense since they already proved they can scale Benny's innovations. Board Converting News

HP rolled out their Indigo 6K+ Digital Press with AI-driven SmartControlSystem and predictive maintenance built right in. The 6K has been a workhorse in label operations, so adding AI that can predict maintenance issues and cut makeready time makes perfect sense. We're seeing more of this approach with steady improvements that solve real production headaches rather than reinventing the entire press concept. Packaging Impressions

Amazon wins green praise for their shift to brown paper packaging, according to a Reuters sustainability report. Pat Lindner, Amazon's VP of mechatronics and sustainable packaging, says the main answer is simple: customers find paper easier to recycle. "While plastic can be technically recycled, it's often an inconvenience" requiring a trip to a drop-off facility. Amazon's recent sustainability report showed a 16% decline in single-use plastic shipments, to 74,137 metric tons last year. What strikes me about this shift is how customer feedback is driving material choices towards corrugated and paper. Reuters

Cascades announced they're closing their Niagara Falls corrugated operations, eliminating 123 jobs and shuttering a 200,000-ton medium mill to optimize their North American footprint. Mill closures like this create ripples throughout the supply chain, especially for regional converters who depend on consistent medium availability. When your primary medium source disappears, scrambling for alternatives while maintaining customer commitments gets expensive fast! PulPaper News

California's SB 343 compliance deadline is set for October 4, 2026, following CalRecycle's publication of their final material characterization study. The law prohibits use of chasing arrows or any other recyclability indicator unless products are regularly collected and processed for recycling by programs covering at least 60% of the state's population. What's particularly challenging is how these compliance dates translate into art revision cycles and plate planning - forcing a complete rethink of design-for-recyclability workflows. CalRecycle

The de minimis exemption ends August 29, 2025, making online shopping significantly more expensive for international purchases under $800. Trump's executive order fast-tracked the end of this 90-year-old law, meaning items arriving by mail will face duties ranging from $80 to $200 depending on country of origin. This fundamentally changes the economics of lightweight, custom-printed packaging, especially for DTC models that rely on frequent, low-cost international shipments. GQ

I'm curious which of these trends is hitting closest to home in your business?