Postal, Paper & Logistics update: September 2026

In brief: The USPS announced that it will not implement or enforce its new mail-in ballot rule for the 2026 midterm elections. In the paper market, higher tariffs on paper imports have enabled domestic U.S. paper mills to increase prices despite declining overall demand. Fuel costs continue to impact the logistics market, with average U.S. diesel prices hitting more than $6.50 a gallon for the first time ever in September.

Built on our roots as a printer, mail industry partner and logistics leader, Quad is a marketing experience (MX) company focused on delivering streamlined solutions at scale to our clients. As the largest USPS customer, we are uniquely positioned to provide clients with best practices and insights on the latest postal, paper and logistics topics. If you have any questions or concerns during these challenging times for our industry, contact your Quad representative. We’ll tap our in-house experts to investigate and get you the answers you need.

The USPS said that it will not implement or enforce the Federal Ballot Mail Rule for the 2026 federal election. The Postal Service acted after the U.S. Supreme Court denied an application to stay the lower court injunction blocking the new rule, which was based on a March presidential executive order.

On Sept. 9, the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) approved the USPS time-limited price change for Competitive Products. The PRC’s action followed the USPS Board of Governors’ approval of the change. The peak season increase will affect Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, USPS Ground Advantage and Parcel Select.

The average 6% price increase will go into effect Oct. 4 through Jan. 17, 2027. More details on the changes can be found here.

In its original announcement, the USPS said the seasonal adjustment “will bring prices for the Postal Service’s retail and commercial customers in line with competitive practices.”

The USPS already has an 8% transportation-related, time-limited price

increase on these domestic package and shipping services that is in effect until Jan. 17, 2027.

A September audit report by the USPS Office of Inspector General (OIG) found that counterfeit package postage labels remain a widespread and costly fraud scheme affecting USPS package operations. While the USPS and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service have made progress identifying and intercepting fake labels, weaknesses in oversight, detection and fraud-response processes continue to allow substantial revenue leakage, per the OIG’s investigation. According to the report:

Including this latest report on postage label fraud, the OIG’s broader work on postage fraud has identified nearly $5.8 billion in USPS revenue losses across multiple related fraud investigations and reports.

In August, the USPS performed well all month despite circumstances that could have delayed delivery in some regions. In mid-August, parts of the Midwest (the Ohio Valley, Illinois and Indiana) were hit with strong storms, heavy winds and widespread power outages. The Pacific Northwest and Western states dealt with the impact of wildfires during the month. Below are the average in-home curves for Quad’s Marketing Mail clients that used our IMsight application to track their mail in August.

The Sectional Center Facilities (SCFs) below struggled to hit 70% in-home on average by USPS Service Standards for Letter mail. Flat mail moved according to Service Standards throughout the U.S.

As always, your Quad representative will work diligently to find you the lowest rates with the most efficient transportation available.