Printing and writing paper production was estimated to increase to 28.3 million tonnes, up by over 5% on the previous year. Demand was 30.3 million tonnes, 4% higher than in 2003 and nearly equal to the peak in 2000. Demand for coated paper advanced fastest, up by 7%. Imports generally grew modestly and were 3% higher than in 2003, but growth started to accelerate during the second half of the year, especially in coated grades.

Newsprint production totalled 13.4 million tonnes, down by 2%, but capacity shrank by approximately half a million tonnes. Demand in North America declined by over 1% to 11 million tonnes as consumption of US daily newspapers continued to decline. Exports decreased by 4% to 2.5 million tonnes.