Sep 10
Print going the way of the dinosaur?
2007 at 11.31 am posted by Veerle Pieters
Last week I linked to a cool new website called “A Brief Message” by Khoi Vinh and Liz Danzico, which features design opinions expressed in short form - 200 words or less. The first article there was written by Steven Heller and was about print being as good as dead. As always opinions differ and with this article I’ll try to write down my thoughts about it. Unfortunately I didn’t stick to the 200 words limit :)
Nostalgic memories
Hard to imagine for some younger designers here but print use to be my main source of income since the Internet wasn't around when I started out. I always had a facination for print even when I was a kid. I wasn't a big reader but I could look for hours at nicely lay-out books. My favorites were those books that had lots of die-cuts that became like 3D scenes when you opened them. When I look at what monks where able to do with such simple means I am still in awe. Some books are a piece of art and no internet can compete with that anytime soon.
Print is used very diversely
First and formost I think when people are talking about print they all mean something different. For some it seems to mean printing newspapers, for other magazines, books etc. People think because there is so much possible on the internet that there isn't anybody innovating in the print world. I personally think that's a great oversight on their part. I've seen my personal favorite printer evolve from a small shop using films to CTP, FM raster etc. When I looked at the comments of the post some people were refering to print as not being green. That's an argument that is based on limited research I'm afraid and also something that differs a lot from country to country. In Belgium there are recycle programs in place for different aspects : inks, plates, plates developer ingredients,... In 2008 printers are obligated by law to have a thermal afterburning installation in place for the drying of the solvents in the inks. A lot of printers use UV offset ink for commercial print instead of the conventional solvent-based inks. With UV inks there is no real drying process because the ink gets 'baked-in' (no idea if this is the correct term here) and no solvents are released. These inks also contain less environmental unfriendly ingredients then the conventional ones. Every area within the print industry uses different kinds of inks. For instance for food packaging water-based inks are used.
Even in the paper manufacturing business things are being done and almost all paper suppliers I know have 100% recycled paper in their catalogue. But as always there are many labels FSC and PEFC paper and some can be misleading like "wood free paper" (in Dutch sorry). That doesn't mean you save trees, in fact it means that lignin is removed and because of that more trees are needed. Most of those come from production woods but these aren't exactly great for the environment either because they are monocultures and are a danger to the biological balance. I'm not an expert and I'm not saying that print is 100% environmental friendly, but what I'm saying is, it depends a lot from country to country. In Belgium paper is being picked up every 14 days at our doorstep for recycling just to mention one thing. So you can't really judge the industry on a global scale.
Newspapers aren't dying around here
The only area where things are seriously shifting is indeed newspapers. But personally I am not convinced that it is going away anytime soon. Here in Belgium there is a special kind of newspaper that is freely distrubuted on Sunday at the local bakeries. That paper is very popular and to me it's an example of new ways of making old things attractive again. The same goes for something called Metro, that is being distributed freely via train and metro stations amongst others. I really can't see it happening that every single paper version gets replaced by an online one and people will read from their laptop on the train to work in the morning. Another area of newspapers that isn't dying are the local ones that you get in the mail every week mixed with all the publicity folders. Newspapers are realigning but certaintly not dying or becoming obsolete.
Publicity, packaging, books, magzines...
It seems to me that most people that think print is dead didn't think long and hard about it. Print isn't going away, not now and not in the forseeable future. Just think about the products you buy daily for food, clothing labels etc. How do you think the packaging is done, it's printed just like books, newspapers etc. Yes another machine and another technique but it's still print. There is even innovation there in the form of "Variable Sleeve Offset Printing", a new technology that enables the printer to apply variable printing lengths in web offset. Used for rollfed labels, shrink sleeves, roll-on shrink-on (ROSO) labels, 2-ply pouches, cut & stack labels and in-mold labels. When something is dead there is no interest in innovaton anymore and that's not what I am noticing. Look at Drupa, the leading event in print, and what they are saying about it:
Drupa 2008 will break all of its previous records. With some 170,000 sq. m. of net exhibition space and exhibitor numbers topping 1,800, this will be the biggest Drupa ever in its more than 50-year history.
Another example of great work: the print industry even has its own Sappi Printers of the Year Awards, a prestigious award.
Packaging is going to be replaced with what? Downloading your food? Yeah right! I love SF but preparing a meal is an art form and is never going to replaced with something from Star Trek. In Belgium eating is part of our culture, every little town has at least one restaurant and I don't see that disappearing.
There are so many other areas where print isn't dead either. Think about when you buy your Mac, the box and all what's in it. That isn't going away either since it's an essential part of the buying process. It's a way to diffirenciate themselves from their competitors. Even when we are coming back to books, just go to the library in your town and see how many people that are still interested in a good book. The lifespan of a good book is so much broader than anything online. I'm personally convinced that nothing will replace the smell of fresh printed books and physcially holding it in your hand. Reading it on a nicely designed screen doesn't even come close. I still buy a lot of books to look into for inspiration and I don't see myself replacing that feeling with a digital one. In fact it's a nice way to break from anything digital and that's stimulating.
End conclusion for me: Even when printing newspapers would disappear it will not mean the end of print. It's here to stay and I see it just as all those predictions of Apple going away years ago. It's still here and stronger than ever.
30served
1
I could not imagine print disappearing anytime soon. I draw such inspiration from the print world that only serves to inspire me where digital mediums oft fail. With the certainty of dimensions available in the print world it affords, I think, greater creativity than the Internet for which we have many different dimensions, requiring certain trade off’s in design.
2
There has been talk of the so-called “paperless office” for years and it’s never happened. There are too many legal requirements to have hard copies of various documents to make that happen anytime soon. It’ll be a VERY long time before print is gone :)
3
You pretty well said exactly what I was trying to get at in the article’s comments, but much more eloquent and with better examples.
As long as there are physical products being bought and sold, there will always be print in the packaging, store signage (‘cause physical shops aren’t going anywhere either), advertising, etc.
You can’t make everything in the world digital.
4
All very valid points. Although they’ve been raised before I still here ‘print is dead’ come up in conversations.
Although the majority of my short career has been in designing for the web I have particularly enjoyed the few print design projects I have done. Making a website live doesn’t even come close to a box being delivered and the holding a printed postcard in your hands.
I think you raised the point yourself, but there’s no way that the web will ever replace books. You just have to look at the number of books available on web topics (design, hosting, making money etc. etc.) to see that they are useful in today’s technological age as any time previously.
Print isn’t dead! Long live print!
5
Print is certainly not dead. My country (Norway) is the #1 newspaper reading country in the world. And even if the number of hits each paper gets on it’s website is increasing, so is the number of readers of the paper version.
I am not a big book person myself, but I read quite a few magazines. In fact, more now than ever. With more and more time spent in front of a screen all day, the more important it is to be able to sit down with something solid at the end of the day.
6
You reminded me; my sister once gave me this book for a present. It’s fantastic. The dentist’s drill actually spins a bit as it comes at you.
7
We’re a bunch of designers who moved from print to online- Frankly, we still jump at the first opportunity to design for print- Structure, grid and interactivity is all fine, but the feeling of seeing your design on a printed paper and not having to worry how it would look in someone else’s screen is something to look for. The other thing, of course is the out-of-context viewing that elevates print to another level- I was once in Goa and smack in the middle of a rave this guy is clutching on a bunch of posters- and one of them was a poster I’d designed- in all its psychedelic glory- can you ever beat that?
8
Thank you for your blog, it’s always a pleasure for both eyes and mind.
Veerle said:
I think too that’s not on the way ! The main reason may be modern countries (in Europe at leat, but not only) are getting more senior citizens. Old people read newspapers and magazines, not blogs.
9
I’ve said it before, as Airbag recently discussed this topic re: A Brief Message. (see: http://www.airbagindustries.com/archives/airbag/pulp.php)
My thoughts are: Print is a Zombie. It’s always moving/changing, but it will never die. I’m with you, Veerle. There are too many of us that still visit libraries and buy magazines/books/newpapers for it to ever die.
Plus there’s the feel of a piece of paper with print on it. You just can’t replace that feeling on the web.
10
Excellent post! I buy a lots of books too and I am not going to replace it with online data any soon. There is no way how computer can replace that smell, touch etc.
11
I feel that newspapers have already become obsolete. I had an experience on the subway to work one day where the newspaper stated that Imus’s job was in jeopardy for the infamous “nappy-headed ho’s” comment. I don’t give a crap about Imus, but when I got to work, Yahoo’s front page stated that he was fired that morning. That illustrated to me just how pointless newspapers are. Their layouts, fonts and designs can be nice and even inspiring, but their primary reason for existing, which is to inform, can be done better and faster by the internet.
I still read magazines, and I hope they continue to be a relevant format, but as far as getting the latest news, paper just can’t compete.
12
I really love the Tintin example :)
13
I would like to comment on the paragraph about newspaper. You list 2 examples of free papers, but even the “normal” newspapers are not worried about extinction anytime soon.
Interesting article (in dutch)
14
For me it’s the same feeling, I love books and nothing digital can replace them. Especially Books like the “TresLogos”, it’s more inspirational than a internet-site.
Here in Switzerland we have some small FREE newspapers called “20min” or “heute (today)”...they come out every day, one in the morning and the other at 4pm and can be taken at almost every train-station. So when you go to work you can read news for free.
15
Nothing beats sitting by a cozy fire, wrapped in my blanket, sipping on a nice cup of tea to enjoy a nice e-book on my laptop??? WHAT?
That’s just crazy books are the predominate form of print that is used . And I for one would rather read a physical book than a e-book. I agree this is a very odd discussion. Print has so many areas and I don’t see those areas dying anytime soon. I work with Print and my area is on a constant rise. I agree with the newspaper due to the time frame of how news happens. But Print spreads to so many areas and is in no way dying.
But also it’s true nothing beats seeing your design in print. Being able to hold or even point it out. Or see someone wearing it, holding it, etc. Nothing beats it.
16
Ed, you forgot that freshly printed stock smells great too.
17
Print industry is not going anywhere, it never will end too, because the pleasure one gets reading a journal,newspaper,book is no where to be found on a screen weather you use LCD’s or crystal displays. Its a solid thing in hand that we rotate, flip in hand also used to beat the hell out of the flies at times but we can’t use a laptop or a monitor screen this way;)
Printing material is there till the end of it~
18
I’m against the dead of print, i love print so much. It’s good to have a physical resources than electrical.
*drooling over the logo inspiration books
19
Nice article. I can only acknowledge this from my own experience at Esko - printing will not die. It is possible that core business in printing will shift from commercial printing to packaging but it will still be printing.
Let’s look back how much it has changed during the last 20 years.
20
You damn right! Print is here to stay man. And it ain’t going down without a fight. Actually, it might be impossible for print to go down. We started in print, hell we will end in print.
21
Print is transitioning, it is slowly becoming marginalised in the live information market. When would you rather have News or Reviews? now or anything up to month later?
I do however still prefer to read from a book rather than a PDA or similar. Packaging isn’t going anywhere either.
22
What’s interesting to me about this post is that it highlights the big difference between long form and short form: It’s much more difficult to cover all your bases when you’re trying to make a persuasive argument.
Heller really only talked about news print dying. And in many ways, that’s indisputably correct. For example, Wired may be one of the best magazines in the world, and yet there’s no reason to buy one, because all its best content—and more—appears online each month anyway.
But I’m getting distracted from the point I really wanted to make here. Heller doesn’t really get to address other types of print media because of the limitations of short form writing! You get to cover a lot more material, and make a more complete argument than he does, because of your longer article length.
I guess, in defense of short-form writing, it encourages a much more open-ended discussion in the comments section than a lengthy, detailed article would. Maybe some of the commenters will discuss some really basic material that everyone already knows before they move on to writing more thought-provoking comments, but if wide participation is your goal, then I guess that’s the way to go.
23
Having just been to a Robert Sabuda exhibit, and marvelling over the intricate pop-ups, I also don’t think that print will die. As Chris Nutt says, it is in transition, but then aren’t all living things?
24
I don’t think it will disappear from clothing or packaging, or even newspaper completely. It will hover lessen in newspaper area I believe - but not go away.
There is today a research on how you download content and display it on a plastic film and use that one as a screen as a partial replacement for all those daily papers in order to save trees. I however don’t think it will entirely replace magazines, but it’s undoubtedly a better way for the environment than todays continuous exploitation on nature for all that paper that is being used today…
25
I recently had a job interview and they told me about the company, how it developed and so on. At first they were just doing web related stuff but they now do brochures for their clients too. I was glad hearing that, because I work in the print industry (hopefully soon again) and I could not imagine a world without print. Print is everywhere. Even on your display and your speakers (screen printing). Print will only change but not vanish. At least not in my lifetime :)
26
You make some very insightful points! It’s not that print is dead or dying, but that business models based on certain types of print are changing. Major newspapers are moving online and struggling in print circulation, but there are still many thriving papers. I’ve been very pleased to see the innovations in printing over the past several years too - stochastic screens, improved quality of digital output, and on-demand and data-driven printing are making incredible things possible.
I also think that the electronic movement pendulum will reach a point where it has to move back a bit. People will start to miss some printed elements, and certain types of print publication will come back to popularity. I feel like I’ve seen this already, in some very well produced magazines and the surge in popularity of letterpress, an age-old form of printing! I think high end printing will stick around for quite awhile.
27
I don’t think print is dead, either. There are just too many applications and I see a lot of printers branching out with new technology everyday.
There’s something timeless about print. It’s more credible. You can hold it in your hands.
I work on newsletters sometimes and a client told me that when someone is mentioned in a newsletter, they order dozens of copies of the issue—it actually means something to them to see their own name and photo in print. It’s an excellent motivator, allowing sensory interaction (of something to hold as proof of their accomplishments). I don’t think it has the same effect on people to see their own names published in electronic media.
Personally, I really like print, as well. I draw a lot of inspiration from printed material.
Electronic media is useful but print definitely still has its place in this world.
28
I used to hear my father and grandfather say that print was dead back in like 1985. They meant then that cable tv had killed it. Is there really something that you can say in a book like Crime and Punishment that couldn’t be a little jazzier with a couple of pictures or a little video, or a slideshow thrown in? Bring on e-ink and something better than my Treo or Powerbook for reading ebooks. I want all of project gutenberg in my pocket and I want it to look nice when I read.
29
Television didn’t mean the death of radio but certainly it did change the rules. I am sure the internet will change the way print is used. The way we currently view print WILL go the way of the dinosaur, opening new and innovative ways of using the medium.
30
Ooh, great article, I didn’t think I was going to be that interested, but it was very interesting.
I wonder how much more environmentally friendly our electricity usage over our paper usage is. Is all our computer/internet activity and thus power consumption more friendly than newspapers and books? Not a rhetorical question, I genuinely wonder… I’m going to look it up :P
Commenting is not available on this article.