The e-petition follows growing criticism in the industry about the costs associated with government tender website supply2.gov.uk and the amount of work required to tender for a public contract.

Darryl Danielli, editor of PrintWeek, said: "Government contracts give printers a vital revenue stream, yet access to the government tender website can cost hundreds of pounds.

"In addition, there is often no clear indication of pre-qualification requirements meaning that many printers will spend time and money on tendering when they have no chance of winning the contract."

In response to a story on printweek.com, printers vented their frustration at the government tender process.

Adrian Clark of Southernprint said: "The last tender I looked at had three questionnaires, with over 200 questions to answer, all for a job probably worth less than £80k including paper."

The tender calls for registration fees to be scrapped, free training to be provided on how to tender for public contracts, and clearer indication of pre-qualification requirements.

To sign up to the petition, visit petitions.number10.gov.uk/Public-tenders/.