If printing is on the verge of death, then why when I searched Twitter for “Is Print Dead” did I find over 20 tweets in the past 4 hours? For something dead or dying, printing sure generates a lot of conversation in the Twitter community.
The blogosphere also has plenty to say about printing being or not being dead.
The seed for this post was planted when I read Debbie Kipp’s If Print Were Really Dead… post. It’s not so much the post as the 20 comments (and responses by Debbie) that the post generated. For those of you that don’t write a blog, getting 20 responses on any post is amazing – getting 20 comments on your third ever blog post is the stuff dreams are made of. This is clearly a topic that gets people thinking.
Over on Samir Husni’s blog I found his post Start spreading the news: Print is NOT dead… This is a very thought provoking post with an embedded video from some very unlikely bedfellows – five titans of the magazine industry. They got together to tell us in video that printing magazines is not dead and it ended up embedded in a blog post – huh?
When Six Pixels of Separation author Mitch Joel jumped in with Print is Not Dead I knew it was time to join the conversation. While Mitch is a great blogger it’s important to remember that his primary job in life is running his 100+ person creative agency TwistImage. So, when Mitch Joel says print is not dead, trust me folks, print is not dead.
I shared some of my own thoughts on the subject in a recent post Printing (on paper) vs. Google. The print industry is definitely changing. Some sectors like packaging and digital print are hot. Others like traditional magazine and insert printing on web presses – let’s just say not so hot.
A stronger sense of community and less cut throat competition is what all industries need. Before you try and decimate your competitor take a second to understand who your real competitor is – the alternative technology. While I talked about Google being a bigger threat to printers than other printers what I didn’t go into in that post is the good stuff. I and others in the print industry have been using the internet and associated technologies to build communities where we can work together for the betterment of our industry.
What print communities are you an active participant in? Are they on-line, off-line, or best of all a blend of both? Share with us where we can find you on-line. I’ll be keeping my eyes on the comments and I’m looking forward to finding some new print communities to jump into.
Print is not dead. But then, magnetic recording tape, microfilm, vinyl records are not dead either. There is just a lot less of it than 20 years ago. I still buy food in printed packages, but I no longer am interested in the printed catalogs, newspapers, magazines or books. More importantly, my children are not either. So, it is not dead, it is not dying – it is just getting smaller as faster and new ways to communicate stories and images digitally become more popular.
Michael – as always I appreciate your perspective. Even more when I am actually in the same time zone as you. *waves” from down in Huntington Beach.
Print is not dead. But then, magnetic recording tape, microfilm, vinyl records are not dead either. There is just a lot less of it than 20 years ago. I still buy food in printed packages, but I no longer am interested in the printed catalogs, newspapers, magazines or books. More importantly, my children are not either. So, it is not dead, it is not dying – it is just getting smaller as faster and new ways to communicate stories and images digitally become more popular.
Michael – as always I appreciate your perspective. Even more when I am actually in the same time zone as you. *waves” from down in Huntington Beach.
I think print is way too ubiquitous for it to ever completely die. And there are inherent benefits to the print medium versus computers/phones. I’m not sure I have the energy to detail those benefits right now, but I do want you to know that because of this post I am now writing a snail mail letter to a friend. It’s something I think is lovely and heartfelt, but often forget to do, in favor of email or text message. Sure, email is more convenient, but that card received in the mail will sure be a lot more special.
Alison – Funny I’ve been sending out a lot of cards myself the past couple weeks. It’s a logical extension of everything we do in the social media world really. Glad you enjoyed the post. I may actually pick up my dead tree version of USAToday tomorrow morning as I leave the hotel instead of just stepping over it 😉
I think print is way too ubiquitous for it to ever completely die. And there are inherent benefits to the print medium versus computers/phones. I’m not sure I have the energy to detail those benefits right now, but I do want you to know that because of this post I am now writing a snail mail letter to a friend. It’s something I think is lovely and heartfelt, but often forget to do, in favor of email or text message. Sure, email is more convenient, but that card received in the mail will sure be a lot more special.
Alison – Funny I’ve been sending out a lot of cards myself the past couple weeks. It’s a logical extension of everything we do in the social media world really. Glad you enjoyed the post. I may actually pick up my dead tree version of USAToday tomorrow morning as I leave the hotel instead of just stepping over it 😉
Hi Jim,
I’m certainly glad to see more astir in the world of printing. Though it’s not dead, it’s been fairly comatose for us seasoned print production managers in search of work in the field. What I have heard from many print rep friends is that the growth is at the bottom (commodity) and and the top, where, as I like to say, “Print is Special.” That’s my sweet spot!
You and your readers might enjoy the two impassioned articles I wrote about this topic on my blog, “Printing Disasters—and How to Avoid Them.”
~ Brand Learning Styles and the Place of Print: http://tinyurl.com/ycxkgtl and
~People Crave Color and Texture, the Tangible and the Real: http://tinyurl.com/ycqgt78
I’m glad to have found your blog and looking forward to reading more. Cheers, ~Nani
Hi Jim,
I’m certainly glad to see more astir in the world of printing. Though it’s not dead, it’s been fairly comatose for us seasoned print production managers in search of work in the field. What I have heard from many print rep friends is that the growth is at the bottom (commodity) and and the top, where, as I like to say, “Print is Special.” That’s my sweet spot!
You and your readers might enjoy the two impassioned articles I wrote about this topic on my blog, “Printing Disasters—and How to Avoid Them.”
~ Brand Learning Styles and the Place of Print: http://tinyurl.com/ycxkgtl and
~People Crave Color and Texture, the Tangible and the Real: http://tinyurl.com/ycqgt78
I’m glad to have found your blog and looking forward to reading more. Cheers, ~Nani
Nani – Thanks for stopping by – I love your comments and agree about commodity and super premium being where the action is right now. Packaging is also rocking along nicely. Looking forward to circling back and reading your posts linked above.
Nani – Thanks for stopping by – I love your comments and agree about commodity and super premium being where the action is right now. Packaging is also rocking along nicely. Looking forward to circling back and reading your posts linked above.