Sharing his experiences as a pan-European printer at the Institute of Printings annual lecture at Stationers Hall, Gilchrist advocated UK entry into the euro, although only at the right exchange rate.

One of the biggest benefits would be improved pricing on raw materials and machinery, in which the UK is disadvantaged despite the high pound, he added.

Gilchrist said that running 3B presses in six countries gave a great view of the differences in staffing, costs, productivity and wages. Spanish printers were the best off followed by the UK, if take-home pay and purchasing power are taken into account, he said.

He described online auctions, where prices can fall by 25%, as scary, although he believed that customers could gain greater savings from long-term partnerships.

He also claimed there needed to be more intervention in the code of fair practice to raise printers visibility against the supermarkets.

Story by Barney Cox

Pictured: Gilchrist