I just want to put this out there before I dig deep into this piece: I love print. I also love the challenge of building creative web sites, so nothing against the Internet. But I grew up on print, I embrace the richness of something tangible and real in my hands, I’ve made good friends at printers across the West—and if I had to be pinned against a wall and asked to make a choice, I would choose the world of print over the web.
But earlier this spring, I received a mass e-mail ad sent from a printer I obviously won’t name. It came with a headline shouting, “Printing Still Works!” followed by a list of ten reasons to continue using printers.
I read through the list and found myself naturally rooting the e-mail on, because print needs some love these days, especially with a wild swing taking place in the past few years towards clients who prefer web and social media. For me, the swing has been very evident, and though the current balance of print and web work is fine, I’d hate to see the ratio heavily careen to the side of web.
But if the goal of the e-mail was to dismiss the web, it failed. In fact, it might have even backfired to those who saw it as an attempt to state that print was superior. I, myself, couldn’t help but painfully provide instant counterpoints to each of the ten bulleted “advantages” to print:
You can touch it and feel it.
And it’s usually much more expensive—doubly so if something critical gets left out or misspelled.
A sense of value.
Unfortunately for printers, some clients define value as to how many customers get their message. Web sites—and the explosion of social media—make that a likelier prospect these days.
More authoritative/trustworthy.
Authority and trust transcend multiple mediums. True, there are some badly designed web sites. There’s also some badly designed annual reports.
Permanent—harder to “delete.”
Which means it could be outdated within a month.
You can pass it around.
Or customers could see it all at once on their office or mobile screens.
You can recycle it.
Or you can put it online and make recycling a moot point.
Drives viewers to your web site.
Which, to some, might come off as defeating the whole purpose of printing in the first place.
Offers special effects such as foils, shapes, folds and sizes.
When I see a printed annual report that contains Flash, then I’ll be sold on this one.
You don’t need electricity or a phone to read it.
But you need a pricey FedEx bill and at least a day to have it sent somewhere remote when someone there can just call it up in seconds on a laptop or mobile phone. Plus, can you imagine the electric bill for your average printer?
Higher quality.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
First and foremost, I am a connoisseur of creativity. It doesn’t matter if it applies to a piece of paper, a plasma screen or a chunk of sand on the beach; if it’s thought out well, exceptionally produced and gets people’s attention, then it’s alright with me. As willing as I am to go with the flow and seize upon the next big thing, I also consider myself a creature of habit. There are likely a lot of clients out there who feel the same way.
For me, I sensed the e-mail sent by this printer as less an ad and more a SOS. Printers like this one feel the future, and they’re afraid they’re not going to be a part of it. To them, I say: Relax. We still hand out business cards, receive junk mail, read the posters at the mass transit station and browse through a seemingly endless row of magazines at the bookstore. Yes, the web culture has muscled itself into the creative world for the long term, but as long as a glossy, monthly periodical dedicated to ferret owners exists, print is in no danger.
My advice to the printer that sent the e-mail: Stop acting like you’re on the ropes. Gutenberg’s legacy may not hold the monopoly on all things marketing anymore, but it’s hardly down for the count.
