While it’s safe to say that the past 12 months haven’t exactly been a ‘vintage’ year, to stretch the wine analogy to breaking point, compared to 2010 and 2011 it was most certainly a ‘reserve’ one at the very least.

So, in this final issue of the year, I wanted to focus on some of the highlights rather than dwell on low points.

For example, there was Drupa in May where a certain Benny Landa sprinkled his fairy dust (AKA Nanography) over Düsseldorf and a fair few UK printers not only breathed in the intoxicating vapour, but actually paid to reserve their place in the queue and be among the first to use it.

And let’s not forget those ‘here and now’ UK trailblazers, such as RCS, Anton Group, Precision Printing and Pureprint, to name but a few, that also put their money where their mouths are and invested in various ground-breaking technologies to cement their growth.

Then there were all of those companies that acquired complementary businesses to accelerate growth even faster, such as St Ives, Eclipse Colour and Tangent. Not to mention the numerous MBO teams and individuals who all demonstrated the highest possible confidence in the industry by buying their respective businesses.

So bearing all this in mind, far from sounding like a tired Christmas chestnut, the phrase ‘what a difference a year makes’ actually resonates pretty loudly in print.

Darryl Danielli Editor, PrintWeek