6 email: editor@printmonthly.co.uk May | June 2026 - Issue 360 INDUSTRY | NEWS printmonthly PrintMonthlyMagazine printmonthly_signlink printmonthly Print Scotland, the official representative body for the print and graphics industries in Scotland, has issued a warning that Scotland risks a “skills cliff edge” unless apprenticeship funding disparities with England are urgently addressed. According to Print Scotland, under the current system a Print Industry Occupations apprenticeship in Scotland attracts just £3,200 in training contribution (age 16 to 19) on average and only £1200 for 19 to 24-year-olds. The trade association calculates that in England, comparable Print Technician apprenticeships attract funding closer to £10,000, representing a gap of almost £7,000 per apprentice. Industry figures from across Scotland’s print, packaging, and label industries have spoken about the issues, saying that the disparity places Scottish businesses and training providers at a serious disadvantage. Richard McCombe, vice president of Print Scotland, has been a lead voice in the warning, and recently discussed the issue on The Print Monthly Podcast. Since the warnings were announced, the Scottish Government has officially launched a full review of Modern Apprenticeship contribution rates. The association also recently announced the addition of 22 new associate members, bringing total membership to 64 organisations. The latest additions include Ricoh, Kodak, and Bank of Scotland, with Print Scotland saying that the latter’s inclusion reflects a “continued confidence in the sector and its future.” A series of documents sent to customers of UK and European paper and board merchants have confirmed imminent paper price increases, with the hikes attributed to global conflicts along with freight, energy, and raw material costs all increasing simultaneously A number of communications have been sent to the customers of paper producers within recent months, informing them of upcoming price rises for materials including mechanical and woodfree paper, as well as kraft board and cartonboard. Paper producers have highlighted issues including electricity and natural gas price rises in the past few years, as well as a general rise in the cost of paper pulp. Both have risen dramatically since the start of 2026 and have been forecasted to remain significantly higher than normal seasonal levels. Many companies also point to an especially competitive global market in recent months, resulting in tighter margins and further impact on profitability. The price increases are in line with a recent unified pricing strategy from major paper producers in other global regions, with the first announcements coming primarily from North American producers. PCA was the ‘first mover’, announcing a $70 (£52.75) per tonne increase for containerboard on January 23rd. International Paper matched this increase just days later on January 29th, with companies including Cascades and Smurfit Westrock quickly following with their own matching announcements. Over in Europe, in February Sappi Europe publicly announced a series of price increases across its paper and packaging portfolio of between €50 - €70 (£43.6 - £61.1) per tonne, for products including its woodfree coated sheets and coated mechanical portfolios. This was in the wake of further consolidation and optimisation strategies by manufacturers in recent months. The increases are part of a ‘lockstep’ pricing strategy from global paper producers English apprentices get triple the funding, says Print Scotland The organisers behind drupa have launched a new digital knowledge platform, drupa insights, in order to expand its information offering and provide continuous market analysis for the international print and packaging industries. Drupa insights aims to provide analyses of technological developments, market changes, and economic trends based on international studies and research, tailored to the needs of an evolving industry. The new online format is developed in cooperation with Alliance Insights, the research division of PRINTING United Alliance. Access is available via onetime, free registration on the drupa website. Drupa has also unveiled a new brand identity for 2028, repositioning as a ‘connected experience space’ of intelligent, networked printing, and packaging solutions. The new brand identity includes an octopus and the slogan ‘dive into the unseen’. Global paper price hikes set to impact the UK Drupa launches digital knowledge platform By Jonathan Pert By Jonathan Pert By Jonathan Pert The new platform transforms drupa’s Global Trends Report into an ongoing digital format
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