NewPage and Spicers Paper Announce New Partnership on Discovery Brand

MIAMISBURG, Ohio and SANTA FE SPRINGS, Cali., April 23 /PRNewswire/ -- NewPage Corporation and Spicers Paper announced today a definitive agreement for NewPage to supply Spicers Paper with a private label brand of coated papers, Discovery®, effective immediately. Discovery is a recognized and long standing Spicers Paper brand that is the foundation of the company's exclusive Advantage Grade family of coated paper products. Discovery, supplied by NewPage, offers an enhanced value proposition to customers who will benefit from a domestically-produced product that is widely available and produced across an efficient and flexible paper manufacturing infrastructure.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080514/NEWPAGELOGO )

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100423/CL92378LOGO )

Charlie Whitaker, president of Spicers Paper commented, "Spicers Paper is excited to partner with a leading United States fine paper manufacturer such as NewPage. The future of our coveted Discovery brand, a key component of our Advantage Grade portfolio of coated products, is in very capable hands. This change represents an enhanced value proposition to our customers on many fronts including Sustainable Forestry Initiative® certification and a long-term sustainable source of supply for Discovery."

"We are very pleased to be teaming up with Spicers Paper to supply a domestically-produced and environmentally sound product to the print community," said Barry Nelson, senior vice president, sales for NewPage. "Print will continue to play a vital role in our economy, and our relationship with Spicers Paper will help us achieve our growth objectives in the sheet segment while providing Spicers a continuing source of supply for this brand. We are excited about this opportunity to serve the North American paper market from North American paper mills."

The new agreement between NewPage Corporation and Spicers Paper is effective immediately and steps are underway to transition the Discovery product into Spicers Paper locations across the United States.  

About NewPage Corporation

Headquartered in Miamisburg, Ohio, NewPage Corporation (www.NewPageCorp.com) is the largest coated paper manufacturer in North America, based on production capacity, with $3.1 billion in net sales for the year ended December 31, 2009. The company's product portfolio is the broadest in North America and includes coated freesheet, coated groundwood, supercalendered, newsprint and specialty papers. These papers are used for corporate collateral, commercial printing, magazines, catalogs, books, coupons, inserts, newspapers, packaging applications and direct mail advertising.

NewPage owns paper mills in Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Nova Scotia, Canada. These mills have a total annual production capacity of approximately 4.4 million tons of paper, including approximately 3.2 million tons of coated paper, approximately 1.0 million tons of uncoated paper and approximately 200,000 tons of specialty paper.

About Spicers Paper

Headquartered in Santa Fe Springs, California, Spicers Paper, Inc. (www.spicers.com) is a diversified, full service distribution company with operations extending from the west coast to the upper Midwestern regions of the United States.  Spicers Paper is the only distribution company in the United States with an extensive investment in custom sheeting Centers of Excellence that now total twelve sheeters across seven U.S. locations.  Sheeting capabilities cover the broad spectrum from coated text and cover papers to heavy weight boards to the full array of digital sizes.  Its broad portfolio of printing papers is anchored by the Company's unique and proprietary Advantage Grade family of coated papers.  These products meet the diverse printing needs of its customers and are deeply inventoried in each of the Spicers Paper warehouses.  Its printing paper portfolio and custom sheeting capabilities are complemented by an extensive supply of graphic supplies and equipment as well as a full offering of industrial packaging supplies.

Spicers Paper is a part of PaperlinX and PaperlinX North America.  PaperlinX is the leading fine paper merchant in the world with businesses in Australia, New Zealand, Asia, North America and Europe.  PaperlinX North America is made up of Spicers Paper and Kelly Paper in the United States and Spicers Canada and Coast Paper covering all markets across Canada.

SOURCE NewPage Corporation