Xerox Corp is going flat out with its hostile takeover bid of HP, securing US$24bn in funding from three banks, and telling the HP board it has the cash to back its intentions.

The battle for control of HP is in full flow, with a war of words between the HP and Xerox boards as they attempt to coalesce HP shareholders to their respective sides, but what does it mean for local printers?

The man behind the Xerox bid to buy HP, and the same man who blocked the Fujifilm bid to buy Fuji Xerox and then effectively sacked the Xerox board, is 83-year-old billionaire Carl Icahn – one of the kings of corporate raiders.

Printers in bushfire-affected regions are battling a decline in workload as tourists flee stricken areas and local businesses see a major downturn in trade.

Staff at Industrial Printing Co in Lithgow faced a harrowing battle to protect the premises, with red hot embers flying in every direction as a mountainside fire raged just 200m away.

State governments in NSW and SA have already offered assistance for beleagured printers and other small business in bushfire zones, with a host of other assistance packages available.

Industry suppliers association Visual Connections says it stands ready to assist print businesses impacted by the fires, and will help organise and cover the cost of bridging production to enable jobs to get out.

The Print & Visual Communications Association has provided a detailed list of contacts for printers in all the affected regions of the country to seek assistance in various forms from various government departments.

Digital wide format solutions provider Roland DG is waiving call-out fees and labour charges to review and inspect Roland equipment damaged as a direct result of the fires, or the resulting power outages.

Russell Cavenagh, general manager of Mutoh Australia, has opened the doors of his company's showroom and resources to offer a free trade printing service to affected businesses while they get back on their feet.

Trade printer IBS says in light of the bushfire emergency it will plant a tree for every order of 1000 or more business cards it receives.

Wide format industry supplier Jetmark is stepping in to help sign shops affected by the bushfires, with a free $250 voucher available to the first 100 printers that respond.

Mimaki Australia has launched a range of special offers and assistance to help businesses impacted by the recent bushfires across the country.

Every year is a big year in the print industry, and 2019 was bigger than most, as the industry continues to rapidly evolve in the face of ongoing digital disruption, with wins and losses, highs and lows. Print21 has been there every step of the way, to bring you all the news, insight and analysis as it happened.

With bad news travelling faster than good, printers could be forgiven for thinking the end is nigh. The reality, though, is that 2019 saw a huge amount of money invested into print, as printers, technology developers, and suppliers banked on the future success of the $8bn manufacturing industry.

As various sectors of print expanded and contracted, the benefits of buying a rival could not be underestimated, with 2019 seeing a flurry of consolidation in the print industry large and small.