With web offset on the brain I just wanted to muse for a moment about a different area of this sector away from all the Walstead/St Ives excitement, that being the 16pp commercial market.

Over recent weeks we've seen the closure of Journal Print in Scunthorpe, and Alito Web/Flair Press/Lexicon Press* [*pick a name, any name] in Northants. And obviously prior to that the TPF facility. Last year G&H Web Offset also ceased trading.

That's quite a contraction in available capacity of this type.

Buyers who'd become used to the ready availability of web offset work from the above companies, at what anecdotally were pretty sharp/suicidal prices, have seen their options somewhat curtailed.

Meanwhile, a brand new 16pp web is currently being installed at Eclipse Colour in Kettering. From where I sit Eclipse is a quality supplier and a well-run, quality business. As the effects of the ongoing shake-out at UK Print plc become clear, it would be nice to think that Eclipse - and other firms like it - will be in an even stronger position. Perhaps also benefiting from a new-found appreciation from customers who've recently discovered to their cost that ultimately, you do get what you pay for.