During the second half of 2004, two themes – one good and the other one troublesome – were consistently were heard from printing ink manufacturers. The good news was that sales were picking up for most ink manufacturers, which was the first time we have heard this since 2000. The bad news was that raw material prices were increasing faster than sales. Key ingredients were either impacted by rapidly rising energy costs or are in short supply, and there doesn’t seem to be any end in sight. In an...