It's now less than a year until the London 2012 Olympics. Here at PrintWeek we are super-interested to chart any boost to British Print PLC as a result of the games.

Reporting on the good news is proving trickier than one might anticipate. You see, there are all sorts of legalities attached to 2012-related contracts, mostly involving people not being able to say anything about their involvement. As far as I understand it, the aim of these draconian clauses is to ensure that the sponsors who are investing squillions in attaching their names to the event get maximum value, and others don't get free publicity on the back of some sort of tenuous involvement.

In one respect that's understandable. But. As has been demonstrated the Olympic Delivery Authority is happy to talk about some providers when it suits them, for example the various companies involved in building the Olympic Park all received kudos in this Telegraph article.

We just want to do the equivalent for our industry.

Things are certainly hotting up as the countdown clock ticks down. The giant 2012 graphic on GSK's headquarters was produced by St Ives' Service Graphics operation. Happily when I phoned up GSK to ask about said graphic they told me that was the case, as is their prerogative. It is impossible for St Ives to trumpet this sort of thing itself.

A fresh raft of official London 2012 merchandise has been released since the last time I looked into the gifts and gewgaws. This includes posters (printed in the UK on FSC paper, yay!), postcards (printed in the UK, yay!), playing cards (no info given on country of origin, boo, but please please PLEASE let them have been produced by someone local like Richard Edward), and various books - product details not available for all, but some at least produced in China, boo.

Despite that last book-related blow, there are some good print-based news stories to tell about the Games. We just wish we could write them.