Denmaur Independent Papers, one of the UK's leading independent paper merchant groups participated successfully at Publishing Expo 2011, hosting not only a sell-out seminar presentation but also marking the occasion to launch Amadeus Primo - the latest addition to its "Best of Both World's" paper portfolio.

The launch of Amadeus Primo, the latest addition to the Amadeus range, was marked by an on-stand competition, where visitors and Denmaur customers had the chance to win a superb luxury chocolate collection from Hotel Chocolat and also a copy of Andrew Wilson's "Wild About the Thames," a collection of London photographs and images, produced on Amadeus Primo Gloss 170 and 350gsm text and cover papers. Customers had the chance to see and feel the new quality paper at first hand. A real Primo experience!

Denmaur, the official paper partner for the Publishing Sector exhibition, also staged an insightful and informative seminar session for those attending, discussing "Paper – All the Issues Fit to Print".

Sales Director Julian Townsend and Marketing Director Peter Sommerville shared their combined 60 years industry knowledge and offered advice and tips on how to save money and reduce costs by more intuitive paper procurement methods. Sharing the platform were   Peter Regis and Tony Herman from Magazine Production Solutions, who provided frank comment from a Magazine Publisher's perspective, all of which was received by a packed sell-out seminar crowd, with standing room only!

Julian provided some interesting facts on paper consumption and the rise of electronic media. He revealed that, in just over a decade, paper consumption in the US has dropped from 42m tonnes to 32m tonnes, whilst sales of Kindle e-readers, according to Amazon, were now selling 115 to every 100 printed books, indicating the rapid changes in reading culture. At the same, he revealed the decline of paper production in the UK, which has gone from having seven key producers of woodfree coated grades to no production at all, with the nearest production mill now being in Belgium.

Whilst Chinese production has seen an increase of 2.7m tonnes of new paper coming on-stream in 2010, Julian revealed that, according to RISI statistics, between 2.7m to 3.5m tonnes of woodfree coated capacity is expected to close by 2015, whilst China's paper production has now made it the fastest growing timber grower. However he stated that increasing paper production had seen vast quantities of pulp being shipped to China, all of which had taken its toll on stocks and prices.

Peter Sommerville highlighted that there are things that publishers can do to minimise costs and even reduce them! "Get Paper Smart", was Peter's advice to the packed crowd. "Question current paper types and grammages, review and establish best quality," he advised. "Bulk also matters," he warned, as it adds considerably to a publication's postage costs if produced on a bulky or heavyweight paper grade. Peter said that by establishing elements such as print effectiveness, paper inflation can be reduced. By examining print methods, such as heatset web or sheet-fed and establishing shorter run lengths, waste costs could be minimalised.

Peter Regis and Tony Herman together painted some stark warnings for publishers. Peter Regis warned that with more paper price rises imminent, more cost pressure would be applied to publishers. This, in turn, could lead to the closure of more publications. However he agreed that Peter Sommerville's advice should be "Best Practice" for publishers when looking at implementing cost-saving measures. He also had some advice for printers, stating that they should tell print buyers that printers can manage paper wastage, which could effectively help provide better waste management and thereby minimise cost impacts.

Peter Regis also advised that  paper merchants and printers should do more to visit their publishing customers and discuss any future price increases in person and offer solutions, rather than through current communications methods – such as a letter in the post.

Publishing Expo is an essential event for anyone involved in producing magazines, newspapers, newsletters, directories, catalogues, brochures and corporate literature, both in print and electronically. It provides the ideas, the contacts, the products, the services and the solutions to enable publishing teams to compete effectively in their markets.

Publishing Expo 2011 was held at Earls Court 2 on 1-2 March, 2011.

For further information on Denmaur Independent Papers and its services, contact Denmaur Independent Paper's Marketing Manager, Andy Bruguier or visit www.denmaur.com