On 10 December last year, the government published a consultation into the framework, which was followed by a meeting attended by, among others, deputy prime minister Nick Clegg and BPIF president Rupert Middleton last month.

In its response to the consultation, the BPIF has called for all industries, including print, to have a representative present in government.

It believes that the print industry, one of the biggest in the UK, is under-represented compared to sectors such as car manufacturing.

The response states: "Printing adds relatively more value than any manufacturing industry apart from pharmaceuticals. The use of leading-edge technologies and skills, combined with the widespread adoption of lean processes, enables the industry to generate a gross value added of £6.4bn annually, from a turnover of just £14.3bn."

"Printing companies excel at developing and bringing to market innovative products and print solutions that will enable customers to access new markets."

Other points made to the government include claims that relative levels of taxation place UK manufacturers at a real competitive disadvantage and it points out that government should take steps to regulate the price of energy and improve the security of energy supply though investment in new generating capacity as well as encouraging reduced energy consumption.

It requested that the government needs to ensure funding support is available for employers to address the skills issues, while it alluded to issues in getting finance incurred by printers, an issue that was discussed in detail at the meeting.