UK 'may miss crucial print meeting'

A lack of funding may mean the UK will be unrepresented at a crucial meeting on the future of the printing industry, according to an independent forum.

Digital Ad Lab said that it can use sponsorship money to pay its membership of the Ghent PDF Workgroup, but could not afford to send a representative to the quarterly meetings.

Delegates made the comments at a recent meeting to discuss the Lab's continued involvement in the workgroup, the forum for "all the important decisions about the future of the (global) print industry".

The British Printing Industries Federation (BPIF) and PPA, the trade body for magazine publishers, have taken part in the workgroup but BPIF has not sent anyone to the most recent meetings and PPA has cancelled this year's membership.

John Charnock, a former director at St Ives and founder of Print Research International, said: "There is a serious risk that the British printing industry could not be represented because of a lack of funding from the industry itself."

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