Newspapers in the US are facing a new threat with the prospect of tariffs on printing plates.

Now the regional Print & Graphic Communications Association has called on the International Trade Commission to reject the proposal, which they say will increase costs for printing and graphic communications industries, reduce competition in the plate market, and threaten production of printed materials for American businesses.

The group, which represents nearly 400 print service companies in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, has called on the ITC to reject the new proposed tariffs on aluminum printing plates.

Co-president Tim Freeman said the imposition could leave printing and publishing companies with fewer options for affordable, quality printing plates. Fellow co-president Melissa Jones added concern that the burden of tariffs and increased costs would be particularly felt by “small and mom-and-pop print shops as well as the small and local businesses that rely on these shops for printed goods”.

A public hearing will be held by the ITC on September 12 to assess whether to impose antidumping and countervailing duties on aluminum lithographic printing plates from Japan and China. If upheld, the ITC could impose additional duties of 200 per cent on aluminum printing plates.