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In recent times a trend has developed for people to demand apologies, often for the flimsiest of motives and from individuals innocent of personal culpability. National apologies have become specially favoured in expiation for heinous historical acts and contemporary political leaders have been obliged to eat humble pie in order to atone for the misdemeanours of earlier generations.

My instinct is to agree with PG Wodehouse writing in 1914. ‘It is a good rule in life never to apologise. The right sort of people do not want apologies, and the wrong sort take a mean advantage of them’.

Some regrets can scarcely be recognised as such giving credence to the wry definition of an apology as an excuse: ‘To repeat an insult, with variations’. One could resort to the extreme position of Admiral Lord Fisher who wrote in 1919 ‘Never contradict. Never explain. Never apologise’.

Well, I intend to ignore instinct and advice and to express sorrow for a number of regrettable phenomena. Without reservation I am SORRY for the following:
• That PrintWeek magazine is not a daily publication.
• That craftsmanship has been largely dislodged from the industry and overtaken by technology.
• That too many leaders of the industry regard themselves primarily as businesspeople and secondarily as printers.
• That printers do not enjoy a higher status in society, at least on a level with publishers and designers.
• That training lacks a breadth of vision in the industry.
• That William Caxton was not a better printer.
• That a national museum of printing does not exist in Britain.
• That the collotype printing process has become almost extinct.

Lawrence Wallis held international pre-press marketing positions and was a respected author and print historian.