In tough times try to stay positive

With all the depressing news in the world of paper in recent weeks, it would be all too easy for clouds of gloom to overshadow the broader print industry.

However, while it’s difficult to see the positive side of recent events, there are still plenty of reasons to be cheerful elsewhere in the sector if we look hard enough.

Arjo’s London event last month, which was part of the paper manufacturer’s pan-European initiative to promote the power of print, attracted around 1,600 visitors from the world’s of print, design, buying and, importantly, Joe Public across its two days – which was incredible.

And later this month Fespa will open the doors of its Cologne show, which looks set to be a record-breaker in terms of visitors and, based on previous shows, will no doubt be an inspiration to those that make the trip to Germany.

Then there are the five print-related businesses that have secured Queen’s Awards for Enterprise gongs and the clutch of industry players that have secured a place on the government’s (potentially) £11.5bn procurement framework.

There’s no getting away from the fact that around a thousand former employees of the paper industry have regrettably lost their jobs, but with some finding work elsewhere in the sector, merchants pulling out the stops to keep the presses running and positive news items like those listed above, it’s important not to get too pessimistic about the prospects for the industry.

We need to focus on the positives, because if we don’t, who will?