Paper is expensive and in short supply. However, I haven't found a publisher or printing house yet that said "sorry we can't print your full catalog because there isn't enough paper" nor any that closed up shop because there was no paper anywhere to be purchased. Our company works with many publishers to print technical manuals, brochures and many other things, never once did any of them they tell us that we can't fulfill your order due to a paper shortage. What they did tell us is that they are sourcing paper from more expensive suppliers and that cost will be passed on to us which we in turn pass along to our customer. Lionel can print a full catalog if they are willing to pay the price, the smaller catalog is a cost saving measure. I would do the same thing if I were in their shoes. If Ryan's publisher is having trouble finding paper, I'm more than happy to hook him up with plenty of suppliers that don't have that problem, they just need to be willing to pay up. The OGR magazine has faced the same issue but they aren't shortening up their publication and they probable use just as much if not more paper than the Lionel catalog. If anything, they will continue to print the full magazine and just have to raise subscription prices to cover the added cost. I hope that doesn't happen.
Personally I like the digital catalog more as it take up less space in my house and I can look at on my phone, tablet, or computer whenever or wherever I want. My LHS had a copy of the new catalog and I like the new format vs. what they did last year. New products (Vision, Legacy & Lionchief) are the focus and repeat production is featured in the full digital catalog. It's a nice format and there is something for everyone!
