It is times like these that we need to know how we can manage our businesses and the technology within them. Prism has taken up the challenge to inform the industry of the options to take it forward. We have gathered industry leaders who will highlight the alternatives to enable you to make informed decisions. This conference takes place on 20 November, Menzies Strathmore Hotel, Luton. It is sponsored by HP and Fespa.

The environment is important, its just taken a step back given current economic conditions. The importance of green at any cost is perhaps changing to a stronger and more pragmatic call to be green while being efficient, effective and securing a sustainable business.

The holidays are over and we should all be refreshed for whatever the market can throw at us. Oil prices are falling after the commodity brokers have taken their snouts from the trough, so the market may see a little more optimism on the horizon.

In the last few weeks the news has been dominated by the economic downturn and overcapacity.  Resulting changes are not easy to digest, though I'm sure companies are refusing to take things lying down and are now formulating plans to make a difficult situation better for them.

‘We need to outperform and out-innovate our competitors'. So said Gordon Brown. We all know how valuable good people are and how important we feel both as employers and employees about being valued. It pays off in terms of motivation, loyalty and growing and developing personally in a career.

As prism business manager, I hope to answer your questions and explain how initiatives in the new membership package will benefit members and the industry as a whole.

Today, and for the sake of argument, let's take a different view and look at our UK businesses from a market-served, rather than a production process led perspective. What does it look like? I think it looks rather good, with growth being the operative word.

In the last week or so I have experienced an excellent European wide format Directors Forum organised by Fespa, Printwear and Promotion's successful inaugural awards dinner, plus the ups and downs of engaging members and non-members of the DSPA in a period of transition and change for the organisation. My lessons learned?

My style is to take a long hard look at a challenge and continuously review, revise and try new approaches and solutions. First the market, then the challenges, then the solutions: so here goes after a month in the role. Firstly, I would like to thank Peter Kiddell and the teams at The Print House Group, Kolorcraft, GSM Graphic Arts, Instant print and Multigraphics for showing a rookie some of the ‘ropes'.

We all wish Mike Turner the best after retiring as director of the Digital and Screen Printing Association and thank him for his contribution over the last 18-years. Be assured, the Association will go from strength-to-strength, built on the foundation Mike created.

Professor John Davison has received the DSPA Award for Services to the Screen and Digital Printing Industry. DSPA president, Peter Kiddell, said: “John likes to be known as ‘inky’ thanks to his passion for pigments, dispersions, mediums and associated technologies. His application of this knowledge has been vital to many industries. Add his unmatched skill in drying and curing techniques, plus a complete grasp of analogue and digital printing techniques, and John becomes the most complete scientist in ink technology we are likely to see.

As I have said before, writing for a monthly magazine is a bit like working in a time warp. I’m writing this in October, yet the page won’t be read until the Yule log is blazing. Printers are used to working over six months ahead on campaigns but they do not get called to account if their forecasts are wrong

Sponsored by Fespa and available through your local Fespa Association, the UK Market Report is the culmination of months of research. The Digital & Screen Printing Association has been constantly besieged for the sort of information available in this report. Thanks to Fespa and DSPA president Peter Kiddell, it can be ordered today.

Sponsored by Fespa and available through your local Association, this is what you have been waiting for after months of research: the UK Market Report. Available free to DSPA members and incredibly good value at £250 to non DSPA members

Use of wide-format UV flatbed inkjet printers continues to escalate and independent consultant, Sophie Matthews-Paul, skilfully presented her findings on what today’s machines offer during the recent Fespa sponsored seminar.

Where and when: Warrington 4 July and Oxford 5 July 2007

Chairman and Presenter: Peter Kiddell, DSPA President

www.dspa.co.uk  Tel: 01737 240792

PLEASE NOTE NEW DATES

Where and when: Warrington 5 July and Oxford 6 July 2007

Chairman and Presenter: Peter Kiddell, DSPA President

www.dspa.co.uk Tel: 01737 240792

DSPA is pleased to say that the UK Pavilion at Fespa’s June exhibition is now full. Apologies if you were planning to join us, but towards the end there was quite a scramble for available space. When visiting the show you will find us in Hall 3.1, next to the Fespa stand. Potential visitors should visit www.fespa2007.com for further details on the exhibition, flights, hotels etc.

What has the newish year brought you so far? Reports to me at the beginning of February suggest that we are mostly off to a slow start! However, we have noticed a much higher level of activity with enquiries and quotations, which added to various guru predictions of some TV advertising going back ‘below the line’, could lead to quite a lot more work about in 2007.

We told you we’d be back this year, and we are, with a vengeance!

The new Awards are designed to bring together the entire screen and digital printing industry and to promote best practice not only for printers, but for suppliers too, in key areas of manufacture and supply.

Fespa Berlin takes place 5 to 9 June 2007 in Berlin: you should be there. Had you thought of visiting or perhaps even exhibiting? Exhibitions work and Fespa’s success is clear proof of return on investment. Why? Because Fespa attracts the people you need to meet: buyers.