Ford Bowers, CEO of PRNTING United Alliance, talks about tariffs, but he doesn’t start with abstract trade policy discussions. He talks about plates. Kodak, the last U.S. manufacturer of aluminum printing plates for offset presses, pays tariffs on the aluminum it imports. Foreign manufacturers, on the other hand, ship plates into the United States as a finished product and avoid those same tariff costs entirely. As Bowers notes, the same scenario plays out with other materials and supplies that print and mail companies use to create their products. Printers pay extra for imported materials, while finished products enter the country without the burden of tariffs.
Imbalances like these were points of discussion in conversations at PRINTING United Alliance’s Legislative Fly‑in event in Washington, DC. Nearly forty executives from print/mail operations and other organizations spent a day meeting legislators on Capitol Hill. The messages to representatives and senators were clear: statutes like trade rules, recycling legislation, and health‑care regulations written in Washington will shape equipment decisions, staffing, job pricing, and competitiveness for years.
U.S. policy decisions filter straight into your plant. Regulations touch the data and materials you handle for clients every day. Postage rates and postal delivery standards directly impact the volume and profitability of the work you do, and decisions made in Washington affect every print/mail provider’s business processes. Look no further than issues such as tariffs, labor laws, and environmental protection measures to appreciate how the passage of bills through Congress can affect your company’s ability to compete with foreign rivals and consistently turn a profit.
A Day Walking Capitol Hill
Experienced legislative affairs professionals guided print/mail-industry people who met with members and staff of the US House of Representatives and the Senate to open doors of communication between the industry and lawmakers.
PRINTING United Alliance assigned attendees to small groups according to geography and escorted them throughout Capitol Hill to meet with lawmakers representing their home states and districts. The attendees took advantage of this opportunity to explain how pending and proposed legislation would help or hurt them in their efforts to grow their companies and offer good-paying jobs in their communities.
While the PRINTING United Alliance Advocacy team identified three legislative areas of interest, they didn’t expect fly-in participants to be policy experts. The main purpose of the arranged meetings was to establish a rapport and acquaint representatives and senators with the print business and the impact print has on the economy of the districts the policymakers represent.
Print is the third-largest manufacturing industry in the United States, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The print and mail ecosystem provides employment for 7.9 million individuals and generates 1.9 trillion dollars in annual revenue.
Three Focus Areas
Lawmakers are busy people with lots of items on their daily agendas. Most are unfamiliar with the direct impact print and mail has on the American economy. Fly-in participants made sure the legislators understood the importance of the printing and mailing industry and that they appreciated how federal laws, regulations, and frameworks affect the companies and citizens they represent.
EPR Policy and the US Printing Industry
Print industry professionals urged elected officials to consider legislation to standardize extended producer responsibility (EPR) rules and fees nationwide. EPR requires companies that produce materials to pay a fee meant to cover the cost of recycling. A patchwork of laws passed by state legislatures is forcing producers like printers to follow the laws of each state in which they do business. The PRINTING United Alliance urges lawmakers in Washington to enact federal legislation, allowing printers to follow a single set of rules.
Fly-in attendees know their industry has already made great strides in lowering the environmental impact of print. Their concern centered on the complexity and cost of navigating state‑level rules and fee structures. They pointed out that a nationwide print campaign can trigger different obligations in each state, complicating estimating, design, reporting, and billing.
Patients’ Right to Know Their Medication Act
Also on the agenda for this year is support for a bill working its way through the House of Representatives, requiring medication manufacturers to supply printed patient information with their products.
Drug manufacturers are pressing to move patient information online to cut costs. PRINTING United Alliance is backing a House bill that would require standardized printed medication guides in every package, with digital options as a supplement, not a replacement.
Printed patient information ensures all consumers can read and understand this important material, regardless of their access to the internet or digital devices. For plants that handle healthcare work, those inserts anchor recurring volumes and represent compliance‑sensitive work that is difficult to offshore or automate away.
Tariffs on Printing Industry Inputs
A third area of focus for the Legislative Fly-in meetings sought to encourage congressional support to establish a tariff exclusion process for critical printing industry inputs. Such a process would support American manufacturing, jobs, and supply chain stability. Wide-ranging tariffs stifle American printing companies in international competition. PRINTING United Alliance points out that raw printing materials and supplies sourced overseas are subject to tariffs, but finished products are not. The aluminum printing plates are a good example.
Tariffs like these punish domestic manufacturers twice: once through higher material costs and again when they must bid against offshore competitors who never absorbed those cost increases. Industry executives are concerned that if the current structure persists, print volume will drift to foreign producers and U.S. plants will hesitate before investing in new presses, finishing lines, or mail capacity.
No one cited specific jobs that had already moved offshore, but everyone seemed to understand the effect of ongoing tariffs like these. Simple math will push long‑run work overseas. Participants stressed that unless Congress adjusts that imbalance, tariff policy will keep nudging high‑volume, price‑sensitive work out of U.S. plants, taking press hours, mailing volume, and local jobs with it.
One PRINTING United Alliance member pointed out that all U.S. industries would like to see relief from broad-ranging tariffs. “Why should the concerns of the printing industry have more impact than anyone else?” he asked. The answer, explained a legislative expert, is that the printing industry is present in-person on Capitol Hill. Their voices will be heard. Being in front of the legislators makes a difference.
In-Person Impact
Members of Congress must understand issues and the impact of legislation before they can decide to support a bill or not. They rely on their staff to help find the information they need. When industry groups travel to Washington, they educate members and staffers in ways that self-directed research cannot. Most members and staff have general knowledge of an industry but need help to fully appreciate issues that affect companies in their districts.
PRINTING United Alliance members at the fly-in urged members to visit their facilities whenever they were back in their districts. Site visits make lasting impressions and give representatives a chance to experience the printing industry firsthand. In-person connections like Capitol Hill meetings and company visits improve the chances of having the industry’s concerns recognized when government actions impact the viability of a local business or an entire industry.
Staffers mentioned that they considered trusted trade media a good source of information when attempting to inform legislators about issues. Several individuals, however, pointed out that genuine stories and in-person connections with constituents have a hefty impact. As one U.S. Representative explained, “It matters that you come in.”
The Congressional Printing Caucus
Prior to the fly-in, seventeen members of the House had joined the bipartisan Congressional Printing Caucus, organized by the PRINTING United Alliance. Meetings with congressional representatives throughout the day elicited interest from more representatives who expressed enthusiasm for joining the caucus.
An industry-focused congressional caucus is an informal, voluntary group of members who band together to promote and support the interests of a specific industry.
The bipartisan Congressional Printing Caucus was formed in 2023 with co-chairs Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) and Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY). Both these individuals have a background in printing, having worked in family printing companies. Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI) and Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) also serve as co-chairs. The caucus aims to educate lawmakers about the issues, legislation, and regulations that could affect the printing and mailing industry.
Regarding formation of the Congressional Printing Caucus, Rep Pocan said, “I think the biggest thing was that it’s a large industry that didn’t seem to have a footprint in Congress.” He specifically mentioned the challenges facing the mailing industry and the United States Postal Service.
“Printing is a cornerstone of American manufacturing and a critical part of how we communicate, innovate, and grow our economy,” said Congresswoman Claudia Tenney. “Having owned and operated a printing business in Upstate New York, I have seen firsthand the skill, precision, and dedication this industry requires. We are excited to welcome PRINTING United Alliance to Washington for their annual fly-in and to engage directly with leaders across this vital industry. We must ensure the printing industry is recognized, supported, and strengthened as a key driver of jobs and economic growth across our country.”
Why it Matters
The aluminum plate story resonated with lawmakers because it made government policy feel personal. So did conversations about challenges like navigating a maze of state EPR rules. Those are not hypothetical issues. Decisions made in Congress may affect whether your next investment goes into a U.S. facility or how local jobs grow or shrink over the next decade. Staying visible in Washington will not solve every problem, but being invisible almost guarantees that someone else’s priorities will shape the rules under which you must operate.
The advocacy group at the PRINTING United Alliance, along with their legislative affairs partners, handles efforts to ensure industry interests are consistently brought to the attention of key representatives and senators. A fly-in event brings industry executives into direct contact with members of Congress and their senior staff. An occasion like this is an unrivaled opportunity to make sure policymakers are aware of how federal actions affect operations, growth, employment, and investment in an industry with a substantial presence but a relatively low profile.
Fly-ins are about building relationships with the people who make decisions that can radically affect how you do business. Supporting the efforts of groups that represent the printing and mailing industries is worthy of your time as an industry professional.
For more information about the PRINTING United Alliance’s advocacy efforts, including issues like the USPS SERVES US Act, visit: https://www.printing.org/programs-services/advocacy and get involved.
Mike Porter at Print/Mail Consultants and PMC Content Services creates content that helps attract and retain customers for companies in the mailing and document industry and he assists companies as they integrate new technology. Learn more about his services at www.pmccontentservices.com. Follow @PMCmike on X, or send him a connection request on LinkedIn.
