Print never had to truly sell itself. We all needed it and the choice was not ‘print or any other channel’ but rather which printing company to use. Remember all those meetings where the designer/buyer had to decide on the paper. Paper merchants had rooms filled with swatch books. Some print buyers today barely know the difference between coated and uncoated.
How the world has changed. Because it now is a case of ‘print or electronic’. The US Government literally put the annual report business out of business by allowing electronic filing of financial documents. Now it wants those warning sheets that are enclosed with medications to be provided via the internet. There are some medications where one side effect could be death. Hopefully, you find the website before you start taking the stuff.
How do we sell print to a world that is hell bent on using what it considers to be a cheaper alternative? I need a spam filter on steroids. My Facebook feed is filled with ads and supposed friends to tell how great some product is. Apple is considering an ad-blocking feature at the OS level. The electronic world is getting too complex.
This gives us an opportunity. Forget about the tactile argument. We all know that paper feels better than pixels. The way to convince marketers and communicators to use more print is to make print more convincing. Quality is a given. So we have to add value to the sheet. Emboss it, die-cut it, foil-stamp it, coat it, make it pop-up. As an industry, we tend not to use our own product to promote. Many printers whom I visit think that they are just one more sales person away from great success. Sales people can sell your company, but print must be the way to sell print.
I have seen that room that almost every printer has with tons of samples – previously printed jobs. What I do not see are comprehensive and creative sample books or fantastic direct mail – from printers. The time has come for more printers to use more print to promote. If you do not believe in the power of your own product, why should the customer. n the US, the volume of print dropped by half from 1995. But now that volume is stabilising and in fact growing at about two per cent per year. What disappeared was a lot of the black and white utility printing. What is growing is high-profit colour and specialty work.
And do not be seduced into the packaging trap. Although there are potential profit areas for packaging, it is still a dog-eats-dog market. If we get into packaging, whether flexible, folding carton, or label, pick your market segment carefully. And expand your offerings. A Russian once said “Today we stand at the edge of a giant abyss; tomorrow, we take a step forward.” I think the future of print is ready for that giant step. It will be a brave new world.
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