With so much focus on COVID, the Brexit negotiations are getting less attention than they deserve right now. Following a June 2016 referendum, in which 51.9% of UK voters voted to leave, the UK government formally announced the country's withdrawal from the European Union in March 2017. The withdrawal agreement was ratified by the UK Parliament on January 23, 2020, and by the European Parliament on January 29, after which the UK legally left the EU on January 31, 2020.

There will be a transition period until December 31, 2020, in which all EU regulations stay in effect and the future relationship will be negotiated. This will be the date (apparently the last chance for another deadline extension passed) on which the final effects of the Brexit can be judged.Many effects of the Brexit depend on how closely the UK will be tied to the EU from then on, or whether it withdraws before terms are agreed upon (the "no-deal Brexit"). The printing industry might not be at the forefront of the most vulnerable or exposed industries, but there will nevertheless be important implications for the printing industry and its supply chain.

According to the British Printing Industry Federation (BPIF), the UK has the fifth largest printing industry in the world (after the US, China, Japan, and Germany). The UK accounted for about 15% of the EU (28 countries) printing industry revenues or about €12 billion.