Following the change of government last month, an emergency budget has been called for next Tuesday (22 June), in which billions of pounds are expected to be trimmed from state spending.

However, private sector printers have said that any effects are not likely to be felt in the short term, while council in-house plants that are well integrated are not expected to be seriously affected.

Anthony Evans, president of the Association of Print and Communication Managers, who also runs the print facility at Swansea City and County Council, said that if an in-house plant could prove it is saving money, local authorities will look elsewhere for their savings.

He said: "If you can add value, offering services such as transactional mailing, and you are integrated into the authority then you aren't going to be affected too badly. It is the smaller in-house plants that are perhaps just a machine that are in danger, if it is just an additional service they are ripe for an attack."

Evans added that outsourcing would definitely decrease, which would affect relationships with local printers.

Scottish book printer Bell and Bain does a large amount of work for universities, which are also set to be affected by the cutbacks. However, managing director Ian Walker said the upcoming cuts would not affect this year's budgets.

He said: "We are halfway through the year. Tenders for prospectuses are already out so there isn't going to be a huge change. Budgets are already in place for this year.

"Universities may start to look at dropping courses from next year, but it will take time for that to kick in and we will have had time to take in the likely affects by then.

"At this point our clients don't know themselves what is going to happen so any speculation before the budget is announced is meaningless."

Meanwhile, university inplants are taking measures already to fend off the cuts. Gary Ive, design and print operations manager at the University of Surrey, said that he is already planning up to four years in advance in a bid to reduce expenditure.

"We are looking at what we are printing and what is necessary to print. I definitely expect the future to impact the volumes of what we produce," he added.