Print trade show Ipex has been dealt another blow with the announcement this morning that Canon is withdrawing from the 2014 event. Canon and sister company Océ are the latest in a string of high-profile manufacturers to pull out of Ipex, following Xerox, Kodak, HP, Heidelberg and Agfa in withdrawing support.

Announcing the decision, Patrick Chapuis, head of the Production Printing Group, Canon Europe, states: "This has not been an easy decision to make as we have previously had two successful shows at Ipex. However, just as we have encouraged our customers to 'see the bigger picture', we have had to look at our own bigger picture. This has involved a continuous assessment of the ways in which we communicate with our customers."

In an immediate response to the news, Peter Hall, managing director of Ipex organiser Informa Exhibitions, says: "We will collaborate with all stakeholders to determine the role Ipex has to play to provide today's printer and their customers with the ideas, insights and solutions to effectively promote the power of print media and its integration in the marketing mix. Further to these consultations, we will issue a statement about the future direction of Ipex shortly."

David Preskett, European professional print director at Canon Europe, announced on Twitter that he would be standing down from his role as president of Ipex 2014, saying: "Hard to stand down as president of Ipex 2014 today, many thanks for the support from the Ipex Advisory Committee."