Industry News
The Future of Printing
By
Feb 14, 2005, 13:55

Back in the 1980’s, futurists predicted that by the year 2000, paper would virtually disappear and be replaced by computers, electronic mail, and digital communications. During the 90’s, with most offices reliant on computers and word processors, it seemed very likely. And at the advent of the millennium, the new media of e-mail and the Internet made the paperless office almost a certainty.

But a funny thing happened. Instead of paper disappearing, there was a demand for more paper than ever. As information became more accessible through the sheer amount of content available over the Internet, it created a need to print material that was formerly either not obtainable, or available through a different media. The most common things that are printed off of computers today are (in order) e-mail, research, news, and entertainment.

The speed of the Internet has given us instant gratification, which has made us less patient and more demanding. Consumers have been spoiled by easy access to high quality, inexpensive color printers. This easy access to advanced technology has made virtually anyone with desktop publishing and user-friendly software able to produce professional looking newsletter, flyers, invitations, etc.

New innovations will be driven by consumer demand for more portability. With wireless computers will come wireless printers for PDA’s and laptops in airports, hotels, parks,and libraries.

So where does that leave the print industry? Will that disappear or will it evolve to a different level?

Printers will need to re-create themselves if they are to be players in the new playing field. Skills such as programming, database management, and web designing will be necessary. And new equipment such as digital printing and software will be common.

Although there will still be a need for the offset printing presses and sheet-fed rollers which can produce large print runs, 4 & 5 -color processes, and a myriad of finishing options, we are beginning to see a paradigm shift from just-in-case stockpiling to just-in-time printing. Digital technology has made all that possible. Documents stored on disk or tape are available to print the exact quantity needed for any particular moment in time. Digital technology allows changes and updates to be made easily. With additional software and some programming knowledge, these documents could produce personalized and customized documents.

Smaller print runs, tailored to the specific customer, will allow companies to treat their customers differently, with special VIP treatment to their more valued clients. Making the message more relevant to the reader increases the interest, strongly improving the response rate and increasing the likelihood of the sale, usually with a larger ROI.

This will give rise to newspapers with articles and advertising relevant to readers, product packaging can be more customized, and catalogues designed specifically for a single customer.

Digital printing will co-exist with off-set, but you will see printers working in different media in addition to paper (such as LED) to produce signs and point-of-purchase materials.

The paperless office or even the printer-less society shows no signs of becoming a reality, at least for the foreseeable future.







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