Action was Hot in M&A Market for '05

* EarthColor raised the stakes in the battle for Big Apple supremacy with its acquisition of Applied Printing Technologies. That came out of left field, though we'd been tapped on the shoulder about a New York metro deal.

* Consolidated Graphics (CGX), ever the life of the M&A party, broke out the champagne glasses after it collared a trio of St. Louis companies led by Nies/Artcraft, a small but well-known establishment. This deal was not a surprise. What would be a shock is 90 more days without at least a letter of intent signed by Joe Davis.