Up until a couple of days ago, this looked like being something of a record year.

A record year, in that no web printer had gone bust or closed.

Now, with the [still officially unconfirmed] situation at The Website (Leeds), which appears to involve some form of administration or receivership, the unhappy status quo has been maintained.

Elsewhere, the inevitable restructuring of Polestar Colchester is underway, half the workers at Goss UK are set to lose their jobs, and KBA has flagged up 1,500 possible jobs to go across its operations.

For 1,700-plus workers in the printing industry, this is not so much a Merry Christmas coming up, as an anxious one.

While there is no good time to be told your job is no more, or at risk of being no more, there’s something particularly depressing about this sort of news coming in the Christmas timeframe.

But. Thinking about it, from a personal point-of-view I would rather know BEFORE the Christmas splurge, preferably well before with enough time to adjust spending plans accordingly.

Sadly, that’s unlikely to be the case for some of the print people involved.

My heart goes out to them all, along with positive vibes for finding new employment.

And do remember the Printing Charity can help via its hardship fund for the needy. Visit www.theprintingcharity.org.uk for more information.

I realise this isn’t a terribly cheery pre-Christmas post, but it is at least a practical one.