Increasingly Prism is hearing about members who are doing really well. General manager at G Bopp, Andrew Moss, for example, says the company is going from strength to strength and has had to increase its production capacity. What G Bopp is seeing is a transition in the screen printing industry to a demand for high quality screens produced to very tight tolerances. This is particularly so in the industrial market but also the graphics sector, which has adopted a similar approach.

In this month's Regulatory Bulletin, Prism highlights a useful document produced by the Environment Agency entitled: Management toolkit for small and medium sized businesses. This information pack contains helpful templates, specifically targeted to help small and medium size enterprises (SMEs).

Economic gurus paid by the government predicted that we would see the end of the recession in the third quarter of this year, but unfortunately this didn't occur. In fact, the gross domestic product continued to decline and one has to question where these analysts get their figures - certainly not from industry, it would seem.

A year ago the market felt like is was in meltdown. Fortunately that hasn't happened for the majority but there are an increasing number of casualties as the low margins and unstable debtors take their toll.

The UK market for graphics and point of sale remains one of the most sophisticated in the world; confident in using advanced technology with a cohort of astute clients who are testing graphic solutions providers with every pound they spend. That means that now is the time of opportunity for companies who are positive and pushing hard.

Most printers are aware of the issues surrounding global warming. In fact they may well be sick of 'environmental speak.' What they really want to know is how their company can benefit from adopting best practice and what that best practice really entails.

Meeting with peers and colleagues to discuss the issues everyone is currently facing ensures you are not alone in these uncertain times. The Prism AGM, which is running at Robert Horne in Northampton on 7 May, also provides the opportunity to improve your company's performance with advice from industry specialists.

THE NEW 2009 Planet Friendly Guide is designed to tell printers all they need to know about process relevant environmental legislation from Brussels and Westminster. More importantly, it explains how to maximise the business advantage of these developments.