Carnage continues across local print industry

No relief for local printing businesses as the latest victim, Pettaras Press, enters voluntary administration.

A spokesperson from administrator, Jirsch Sutherland, appointed on Friday 19, confirmed the situation, adding that the Padstow business is still running.

The long-term family-owned business is well-known throughout New South Wales, where it was frequently recognised for producing high quality work, earning gold in both the NSW Print Excellence Awards and National Print Awards. The company recently purchased a 10-colour Komori press. Managing director, Steve Pettaras, did not return calls.

The incident is not in isolation. The start of the new year has seen numerous blows to well-known businesses, from iconic forms printer in Wodonga, Paragon Printing and Moore Office Products to Worldwide Online Printing’s Western Australia-based headquarters, to smaller companies such as Apex Press, Rapid Digital and The Printing Department.

Despite claims that the worst may be behind us, the effects of the Global Financial Crisis and a continually consolidating industry look likely to reverberate for some time to come.