Absolutely not. R.I.P. is not engraved on the tombstone; print isn’t even merely hanging on by a thread. Most entities in life change to survive, and with the ever-changing advancements in modern technology and digital applications, print continues to adapt. How print and digital coexist is a pertinent discussion. So too is how print persists, as it is utilized, enjoyed and celebrated in everyday life.
Print & Digital
It’s not an “either/or” situation here. It’s “both/and.” Both print and digital communication methods have clear strengths for different audiences and the endless variety of messages we come up with to reach them. Both mediums can integrate within a single campaign, and the campaign is all the better for it.
Print – A Quick History
The first known printed book was “The Diamond Sutra,” a Buddhist text from Dunhuang, China from the year 868. This is well before Gutenberg took mass printing mainstream in the 1400s. “The Diamond Sutra” was created with a method known as block printing, which utilized panels of hand-carved wood blocks in reverse. Moveable type – individual characters carved into clay and baked into hard blocks so they could be reused – also began in China. By the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), books were prevalent in society. Then, in 1297, a treatise on agriculture and farming practices called “Nung Shu” was printed with woodblock type on a revolving table, which allowed typesetters to organize with more efficiency, leading to greater speed in printing. “Nung Shu” was later shipped to Europe, and is considered the world’s first mass-produced book.
After all that came Gutenberg and the European version of movable type with metal blocks of each letter, the concept of replica casting and the famous Gutenberg Bible.
All this is to show that, since the very beginning, print has adapted to consumer needs and advancements in technology.
Beyond Books
Today, print builds on its historical value. As a tangible medium, print continues to offer a sensory and emotional experience. Physical printed pieces are used to handwrite notes or to journal in. Leave behind literature is a ready reference after the initial introduction to a product or service. Finishes and packaging design are essential to both engagement and ongoing brand recognition. Handling materials psychologically adds to message retention. And paper’s matte, dull, gloss, uncoated, and soft touch finishes all evoke emotional response, creating an informational piece that’s really so much more.
Print is more.
It’s not just words on a page. Print is everywhere. Just look around you right now, and what do you see? I have a spiralbound notebook and a custom calendar on my desk. There are postcards and photos and a party invitation on the fridge, digital art printed on large canvases that decorate the front wall, a stack of magazines on the table, road closure signage on the street out the windows along with street signs, business signs and banners, and that’s not even all of it. Print is everywhere.
Sure, there’s a time investment and a cost associated with producing a physical piece that isn’t incurred with digital platforms. But print pivots this disadvantage. Building upon its historical base, when printing books became printing public notices, flyers, posters, manuals, reports and other methods for informing, educating and entertaining, print grew into a trusted medium. Print’s cost and time investment still subconsciously invokes trust, which can boost consumer confidence.
Here Comes Digital
The internet and its array of informative and communication platforms has changed the way people think, connect and educate themselves. Today, when you’re researching a topic or need to look up a fun fact, you don’t go first to the reference section at your local library and consult volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica. But you might visit britannica.com.
This does not discount traditional print media, though. Print has value in the ways it evolves by integrating with paperless communication methods. For instance, maybe you don’t see the ad in the local newspaper for the new Buc-ees just outside of town, but you probably saw the billboard on your drive to work. (Billboards are print!) You probably also saw social media posts and digital ads as you searched and scrolled through the internet, which then made you recall, “Oh yeah, I know where that is, I just saw the billboard.”
As print utilizes variable data to target specific audiences, including billboard locations for optimal reach, digital marketers jump on algorithms and targeted ads for optimal engagement, including analytic data of a person’s interests and location. This of course brings us to …
Hybrid Marketing
Where traditional communication platforms join with new technologies to create the best experience for your audiences, and the best results for you.
The thought behind hybrid marketing is that, as your audiences connect with a product, service or information across different platforms, you create greater brand visibility. Best case, they are introduced to you via both medium styles, so it feels natural that your brand is top of mind. And as you remain on their radar via different avenues, this creates brand trust, and ultimately engagement, purchasing, etc.
So where is print most impactful? Everywhere.
Take dye sublimation, for example. Dye sublimation involves a heat transfer of dyes onto a polyester or polyester resin coated materials. Wide format printers use transfer paper with dye-sub inks in a heat press onto fabric. Heat changes the solid ink into gas that embeds in the fabric fibers. Because the dye is fused into the fibers, dye sublimation may last a lifetime. Where can you find this print application? Sports jerseys and branded gear, upholstery and pillows, soft promotional pieces like vibrant trade show booths that can be backlit, promotional flags at museum galas and fundraising events, personal items like handbags, scarves, ties, cell phone covers, mouse pads … the dye sublimation possibilities are endless.
Is print dead? Not a chance. It’s just adapting to its surroundings. And as it turns out, print is all around you.
Shawna Phillips
Shawna is creative, her attention to detail is unmatched, and she has a passion for all of production’s parts and pieces. Not only does this make her our go-to print gal and #1 production manager, it means she finds joy in the big stuff and the small stuff, and she sees the magic in both what is and what can be.