Print under pressure

Printing industry 52 percent of all companies in the graphic arts industry recorded a decline in earnings in the second half of 2002, with only 4.2 percent of companies reporting higher revenues, said Peter Edelmann, President of the industry association Viscom, at a press conference. Printing suffered the most, with 71 percent of companies reporting a drop in income. Currently, no group of companies is achieving a cash flow of ten percent, which is necessary to cover the industry's high investment requirements, said Edelmann.