How prices are changing
- Producer prices, overallSeptember 2026
+6.7%
- NewsprintProducer prices, September 2026
+4.1%
- Paper and paperboardProducer prices, September 2026
+2.7%
- Uncoated paperProducer prices, September 2026
+1.2%
- Other graphic papers and boardsProducer prices, September 2026
−0.8%
- Advertising spaceServices, Q2 2026
+1.6%
- Advertising agency servicesServices, Q2 2026
+0.2%
Prices for graphic papers vary by grade. The index for other graphic papers and boards stood at 140.2 points in September 2026, 0.8% below the previous year and well below the 2022 annual average of 154.4 points (2021 = 100). Newsprint cost 4.1% more. Advertising agency services became 0.2% more expensive in Q2 2026, advertising space 1.6% and service prices overall 3.7%.
Postage from 1 January 2027
| Deutsche Post product | Change | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Dialogpost (addressed advertising mail) | €0.01 to €0.04 more per item; Standard up to 20 g €0.39, Large up to 50 g €0.56, in each case plus VAT | announced |
| Postwurfspezial (partially addressed advertising mail) | Card, Standard and Large each €0.01 more per item | announced |
| Postaktuell (unaddressed household mail) | 3% more to households receiving daily mail, 6% more to all households | announced |
| Standard letter | €1.15, previously €0.95, subject to approval by the Bundesnetzagentur (Federal Network Agency) | announced |
| Business customer letters (partial services) | Prices are rising; Deutsche Post does not state the amount in its press release | announced |
What makes up the price
Agencies bill by hourly or daily rates, with flat fees per project or with a monthly retainer for an agreed scope. Media agencies buy advertising space. This generates discounts, free spots or rebates from media owners; whether they reach you depends on the contract.
A print price is made up of paper, prepress, machine time, finishing and dispatch. For mailings, lettershop services and postage are added; postage depends on product, format and weight. Promotional materials and visual merchandising are costed per piece or per project, including materials, production, storage, installation and logistics. Have these components shown separately.
The same questions apply to marketing software as to other licences. More on this in the IT and telecommunications guide.
Which index to use
For paper, the producer prices of the Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis) for graphic papers (statistic 61241); for agency services, the producer price index for advertising agency services; and for media bookings, the index for advertising space (both statistic 61311). Postage follows Deutsche Post’s price list. How a price adjustment clause is structured
Six places where marketing and print contracts cost you money
- Paper surcharge without an index. A surcharge from a year with high paper prices does not come down by itself. The index for other graphic papers and boards averaged 154.4 points in 2022 and stood at 140.2 in September 2026 (2021 = 100). Link the surcharge to this index, in both directions.
- Agency fee without a scope of work. A monthly retainer without an agreed scope cannot be checked. Define the services, hours and deliverables, and require proof of the hours worked each month.
- Discounts and rebates that never reach you. Discounts, free spots and rebates from media owners must be shown in the billing. If the agency acts on your behalf, it must hand over everything it obtains from managing your affairs (§ 667 BGB, German Civil Code). Expressly agree that these are passed on, together with a right to audit the media owners’ invoices.
- Too many print runs and variants. Every variant incurs its own prepress and make-ready time, and small print runs spread the fixed costs over only a few copies. Consolidate variants and plan print runs for the whole year.
- Postage without optimisation. From 1 January 2027, a standard letter costs €1.15, subject to approval by the Bundesnetzagentur. Dialogpost Standard up to 20 g costs €0.39 plus VAT. Check which items can be sent as Dialogpost, and keep format and weight within the cheaper bands.
- Marketing software licences. If the price depends on users or stored contacts, users who have left and outdated contacts continue to cost money. Clean up users and contact data before renewal, and negotiate the tier based on the actual number.
Before you agree to an increase
Ask your agency or printer in writing:
- Which services and hours does the fee cover, and how do you provide evidence of them?
- Which discounts, free spots and rebates have you received from media owners and service providers for our bookings?
- How do you calculate the paper surcharge, with which index and which reference month?
- What prices apply for larger print runs and fewer variants?
- Which postage products do you use for our mailings, and what changes on 1 January 2027?
For the review, you need: the agency and framework agreements with price lists, the invoices for the last twelve months, the media plans with the media owners’ invoices, the print orders by print run and variant, and the notice of the increase.
How we renegotiate marketing and print
We reconcile agency invoices with the scope of work, check paper surcharges against producer prices and media invoices for discounts passed on, and recalculate your mailings using the 2027 postage prices. Our senior negotiators handle large contracts in person, together with your buyer. We process the many small contracts in a standardised, software-supported way, following your rules. You approve every deal.
Frequently asked questions about marketing and print
The printer is raising prices because of higher paper prices. Is that justified?
Check the paper grade. In September 2026, the producer price index for other graphic papers and boards was 0.8% below the previous year, while newsprint was 4.1% above. Ask to be shown what share of the price paper accounts for and which index the increase is based on.
Does the agency have to pass media discounts on to us?
If it acts on your behalf, it must hand over everything it obtains from managing your affairs (§ 667 BGB, German Civil Code); this applies accordingly to service contracts and contracts for work whose subject is the management of another’s affairs (§ 675(1) BGB). Whether this applies to your contract depends on how it is drafted. You should therefore expressly agree on the pass-through and an audit right.
What changes in postage for advertising mail in 2027?
On 1 January 2027, Deutsche Post is raising prices for Dialogpost by €0.01 to €0.04 per item, for Postwurfspezial by €0.01, and for Postaktuell by 3% for households receiving daily mail and by 6% for all households. Dialogpost Standard up to 20 g will then cost €0.39 plus VAT.
Which index is suitable for agency fees?
The producer price index for advertising agency services published by the Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis, statistic 61311). In Q2 2026, it was 0.2% higher than in the same quarter of the previous year.
Sources
- Die Papierindustrie: index of producer prices of industrial products (domestic sales) for paper and paperboard, 2021 = 100, data from the Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis), up to September 2026
- Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis): producer prices in September 2026, press release of 20 October 2026
- Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis): producer prices for services in Q2 2026, press release of 18 September 2026
- Deutsche Post: 2027 price adjustment for advertising with print mailings, accessed 29 October 2026
- Deutsche Post: letter postage and products from 1 January 2027, press release of 20 October 2026
- § 667 Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch (German Civil Code)
- § 675 Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch (German Civil Code)
