printing papers demand for printing papers products is closely corre- lated with changes in commercial printing and advertising activity , direct mail volumes and , for uncoated cut-size products , with changes in white- collar employment levels that affect the usage of copy and laser printer paper .pulp is further affected by changes in currency rates that can enhance or disadvantage producers in different geographic regions .principal cost drivers include manufacturing efficiency , raw material and energy costs and freight costs .pr int ing papers net sales for 2012 were about flat with 2011 and increased 5% ( 5 % ) from 2010 .operat- ing profits in 2012 were 31% ( 31 % ) lower than in 2011 , but 25% ( 25 % ) higher than in 2010 .excluding facility closure costs and impairment costs , operating profits in 2012 were 30% ( 30 % ) lower than in 2011 and 25% ( 25 % ) lower than in 2010 .benefits from higher sales volumes ( $ 58 mil- lion ) were more than offset by lower sales price real- izations and an unfavorable product mix ( $ 233 million ) , higher operating costs ( $ 30 million ) , higher maintenance outage costs ( $ 17 million ) , higher input costs ( $ 32 million ) and other items ( $ 6 million ) .in addition , operating profits in 2011 included a $ 24 million gain related to the announced repurposing of our franklin , virginia mill to produce fluff pulp and an $ 11 million impairment charge related to our inverurie , scotland mill that was closed in 2009 .printing papers .
[['in millions', '2012', '2011', '2010'], ['sales', '$ 6230', '$ 6215', '$ 5940'], ['operating profit', '599', '872', '481']]
north american pr int ing papers net sales were $ 2.7 billion in 2012 , $ 2.8 billion in 2011 and $ 2.8 billion in 2010 .operating profits in 2012 were $ 331 million compared with $ 423 million ( $ 399 million excluding a $ 24 million gain associated with the repurposing of our franklin , virginia mill ) in 2011 and $ 18 million ( $ 333 million excluding facility clo- sure costs ) in 2010 .sales volumes in 2012 were flat with 2011 .average sales margins were lower primarily due to lower export sales prices and higher export sales volume .input costs were higher for wood and chemicals , but were partially offset by lower purchased pulp costs .freight costs increased due to higher oil prices .manufacturing operating costs were favorable reflecting strong mill performance .planned main- tenance downtime costs were slightly higher in 2012 .no market-related downtime was taken in either 2012 or 2011 .entering the first quarter of 2013 , sales volumes are expected to increase compared with the fourth quar- ter of 2012 reflecting seasonally stronger demand .average sales price realizations are expected to be relatively flat as sales price realizations for domestic and export uncoated freesheet roll and cutsize paper should be stable .input costs should increase for energy , chemicals and wood .planned maintenance downtime costs are expected to be about $ 19 million lower with an outage scheduled at our georgetown mill versus outages at our courtland and eastover mills in the fourth quarter of 2012 .braz i l ian papers net sales for 2012 were $ 1.1 bil- lion compared with $ 1.2 billion in 2011 and $ 1.1 bil- lion in 2010 .operating profits for 2012 were $ 163 million compared with $ 169 million in 2011 and $ 159 million in 2010 .sales volumes in 2012 were higher than in 2011 as international paper improved its segment position in the brazilian market despite weaker year-over-year conditions in most markets .average sales price realizations improved for domestic uncoated freesheet paper , but the benefit was more than offset by declining prices for exported paper .margins were favorably affected by an increased proportion of sales to the higher- margin domestic market .raw material costs increased for wood and chemicals , but costs for purchased pulp decreased .operating costs and planned maintenance downtime costs were lower than in 2011 .looking ahead to 2013 , sales volumes in the first quarter are expected to be lower than in the fourth quarter of 2012 due to seasonally weaker customer demand for uncoated freesheet paper .average sales price realizations are expected to increase in the brazilian domestic market due to the realization of an announced sales price increase for uncoated free- sheet paper , but the benefit should be partially offset by pricing pressures in export markets .average sales margins are expected to be negatively impacted by a less favorable geographic mix .input costs are expected to be about flat due to lower energy costs being offset by higher costs for wood , purchased pulp , chemicals and utilities .planned maintenance outage costs should be $ 4 million lower with no outages scheduled in the first quarter .operating costs should be favorably impacted by the savings generated by the start-up of a new biomass boiler at the mogi guacu mill .european papers net sales in 2012 were $ 1.4 bil- lion compared with $ 1.4 billion in 2011 and $ 1.3 bil- lion in 2010 .operating profits in 2012 were $ 179 million compared with $ 196 million ( $ 207 million excluding asset impairment charges related to our inverurie , scotland mill which was closed in 2009 ) in 2011 and $ 197 million ( $ 199 million excluding an asset impairment charge ) in 2010 .sales volumes in 2012 compared with 2011 were higher for uncoated freesheet paper in both europe and russia , while sales volumes for pulp were lower in both regions .average sales price realizations for uncoated .

Question: what was the operating margin from printing papers in 2012
Answer: 9.6%