FRANKFURT -- Sales of printed circuit boards from German manufacturers rose 14% year-over-year as the domestic industry begins to recover post-holiday recession.

Sales slumped 12% sequentially, however, ZVEI PCB and Electronic Systems said.

PCB orders at German manufacturers fell almost 33% year-over-year in April.

Year to date sales are up 20% over last year, ZVEI said.

The book-to-bill ratio fell 22 basis points to 0.73, meaning for every 100 euros worth of boards sold, 73 euros worth of boards were ordered. It was the lowest mark since October 2010.

Germany is Europe's largest PCB-producing state. Europe is on track for 2011 revenues of about $3 billion, according to Dr. Hayao Nakahara of N.T. Information.