Is the newspaper printing market as ripe for consolidation as web offset was? (And perhaps continues to be.)

News that Guardian Media Group is considering its options re the future printing of The Guardian and Observer titles, with talk of a partnership with Trinity Mirror mooted, is not a surprise. What is surprising, especially with the 20:20 vision of hindsight, is that a media group that is pinning so much on digital content chose to spend the best part of ?100m setting up its own print operations just six years ago.

There is a back story, of course. Richard Desmond's takeover of Express Newspapers, and ultimately West Ferry Printers, resulted in what might be described as 'lively' scenes among the former production partners at the plant. The Telegraph hot-footed it to News International, as did the FT.

Desmond has now opted to build his own new print plant at Luton, and one can imagine that he enjoys the proprietorial thrill of literally being able to stop the presses if he so chooses - something that wouldn't happen if the Express titles were being contracted printed at NI or AN Other newspaper plant.

DMGT also has plans for a new plant outside of London, and it too has mulled the contract printing idea.

As someone pointed out to me this morning, the newspaper groups have huge amounts of print assets on their balance sheets. Wonder what would happen if someone made a few of them the right sort of offer to make all that go away?