With the peak wedding and corporate event season in full swing across Punjab, Lahore's historic Urdu Bazaar has run critically short of premium textured fancy cards and high-thickness coated art paper. Graphic designers and printing press owners report a massive delay in executing client orders, forcing many to source alternative stocks at exorbitant rates.
Textured cards, widely imported from Italy, Korea, and Indonesia, are the bedrock of high-end invitation cards, luxury box packaging, and premium business profiles. However, recent import bottlenecks and clearances at Karachi Port have left cargo containers stranded, causing a local supply vacuum. Traders at Urdu Bazaar stated that wholesalers are currently rationing the remaining stocks to avoid hoarding, but current reserves will not last beyond the end of the week.
Local printing business owners have called upon the government to streamline processing times for paper-related import containers. They emphasize that printing and graphic arts are vital service sectors supporting thousands of skilled workers in Lahore, and a persistent paper market shortage could lead to operational shut downs for dozens of small printing units.