The statement, which blamed liquidity problems in the UK, an increase in customer liquidations and levels of bad debt for the company's recent sales dip, precipitated a 2.5p fall in its shares.

The Derbyshire-based company said: "The impact of more difficult access to funding has caused some of our customers to delay orders for equipment which again has slowed down sales in the last few months."

Meanwhile, Litho Supplies also announced 12 redundancies linked to the planned closure of its Bristol finance department, as well as the departure of current finance director Gerry Mitchell.

Attempts to cheer investors with news of a 13% increase in turnover for the first four months of 2008 fell on deaf ears as the print supplier's share price, which had stood at more than 50p at the start of the year, dropped to 34p.