Looking at the front page of a recent Sunday Times, I read of Barack Obama’s robust Stateside declaration and Alistair Darling’s rather startling proclamation of economic doom – these are selections of stories its editor judges valuable to readers.
By coincidence, this month I proofed all of Printing World’s columns in one sitting and I was reminded of what excellent vessels of knowledge they are for readers – they indeed are the magazine’s eyes on the street and proffer valuable advice.

Columnist Chris Jordan says if you are thinking of buying a digital press, you should decide how you will automate the checking of the files received – in today’s pressured market, it is vital a firm automates the file-checking capability. If staff have to manually check a job, it is going to lose money. Barney Cox reflects that while inkjet technology might not be perfect right now, it would be wrong not to ensure you understand the possibilities so that when the time is right, companies are ready to act. And Jo Francis says that printers who ignore the possibilities that cross-media offers may end up isolated and jobless like those typesetters that ignored the signs that pre-empted such great such change several years ago.

Much of print needs words, and the power of such words should never be underestimated. ‘Perfect flying conditions’, are three such words that, uttered, will stop me thundering towards an aeroplane cockpit demanding to be let off. Don’t laugh, it’s happened… twice. Words are the currency of human communication and whether spoken or written, people take great heed of them.