Select Comments: Print and Paper Have Classic Strengths

Designers feel strongly and positively about print.

They value print for its classic strengths and how these can be effectively leveraged to convey a message or a feeling. Foremost is touch, but other practical attributes continue to matter: permanence, portability, convenience, accessibility. Print works, in the view of respondents, because it creates a human connection and a trustworthiness missing from the ephemeral, oversaturated, often anonymous world of digital communications. In addition, many observe that the relative rarity of printed communications makes the impact of print felt even more.

Printed media has introduced new paper options that keep me coming back to it. From polyvinyl paper to digital metallic ink, the possibilities are ever changing and endless. I don’t see print going anywhere as long as the print options continue to evolve, change, improve.

– Lynly Grider, Graphic Artist, Kimray, Inc.

Print is still an important means of communication. Especially when digital content is so easily changeable and replaceable, commitment to print gives importance to a company, a brand, a project.

– Gina Vivona, Owner/Art Director, GV Creative

Print is still very important both professionally and personally. The strengths it offers are more meaningful now than they used to be because there is less print. Print can make an impression and have a greater impact because people still respect and respond to it. I love it!

Paper and print can never really be duplicated in the digital world as it has a physical and emotional connection with the viewer.

Print is still extremely strong, especially in the retail environment. Brands need to stand out more than ever, and that is leading more innovative printed creative.

I do, indeed, believe print is still viable, in fact, extremely valuable. The ability to keep, hold and share print makes it perfect for marketing!

Print is a very important part of business. It gives accreditation and professionalism to a company or brand, and often sets them apart from competition. I still believe there is more power in print than in digital. The receiver of print materials can hold onto those items and return to them easily when the product or service is needed. With digital, you need to reach the person right at the moment they are ready to buy.

Print still has an important role in my work as an inhouse designer. I’m a huge lover of paper and print and use it as often as possible. Paper and print can never really be duplicated in the digital world as it has a physical and emotional connection with the viewer.

Print is still relevant and necessary, and is a key tool in promoting and marketing an organization to key audiences.

Digital is here to stay, but print is not dead. Many of our clients still find a print magazine one of the most valued pieces their audiences and clients receive. However, this is in addition to

digital online offerings. We suggest clients take advantage of both channels to reach a wider variety of audiences.

The tactile nature of print is still very important and necessary. Print can have an impact, but no less or more than it has had in the past. A well thought out piece today is just as relevant as it was 20 years ago.

I have transitioned to primarily digital and development work, but print is still very vital in my personal life. The strengths of print make it much more valuable in an era of transient media.

LP Records were once the delivery standard for music but there is now a resurgent interest in LP’s for the experience and art form. I see the same for print. It’s no longer the standard for information delivery but it still delivers a unique and resonant experience that can be very effective if used correctly.

I work with print every single day. I had no preference for working with print; out of college I expected to work mostly in the digital landscape. Being at a small design agency, I do a lot of poster design and magazine design. Print for me is as pervasive as social media and web design.

Print is still alive and well from our point of view. As consumers and humans, we still appreciate touch and the ease of printed pieces. Print doesn’t require batteries or a charger to dazzle. We print fewer copies than in the past, but there is a broader distribution strategy.

Our print work is more poignant, but clients are increasingly interested in less expensive work. Larger clients are spending tons on print but smaller clients are just trying to get by with cheaper alternatives.

Print is so important! People still like to hold something in their hands and read it, feel it and then share it. Touch is huge, and I believe that the coatings are key to continuing the growth of print such as soft touch, aqueous, etc.

Print is important for many reasons: the ability to take a printed piece with you and share it with a friend or the ease of hanging something on a local bulletin board. Plus receiving mail, whether direct mail or an invitation, is still fun.

Print is part of the mix, but flash sales, heavy content and customer interaction are better served on the web. In those cases print is used to drive traffic to web.

Today’s barrage of interactive media helps strengthen the value and importance of a beautifully printed and designed piece.

Because print is less necessary, it has become a novelty, of sorts. It has become more rare, but more valuable.

I have heard ‘Print Is Dead’ since 1982 and it still comprises 100% of my company’s business. My clients depend on printed material to communicate with their customers.

There will always be a need for print. Done well, it helps garner attention that might be lost in the quick reaction of the delete button.

People need to see things that are printed to get a feel for the image we are projecting to the public.

Most of my clients rely on feel, color and texture. A motto: Keep Print Alive!

Print is still significant in my professional and personal life. I am an avid reader and always have at least two books that I am currently reading. I love the feel of special papers with satin

finishes or other textures. I also love the look of spot laminates that cause a piece to pop.

I primarily focus on print. I think a hard copy has a greater impact than digital because it engages more of your senses. Print, done well, will always have an impact.

I do feel that now is a time for print material to shine since so many companies and organizations are using digital forms of marketing.

Print definitely has more impact. I still believe in the traditional strengths of the piece being right there and visible at all times, and the tactile quality of feeling the stock it is printed on.

When done right, print is perfect. In a world where digital media is literally within your grasp at all times, print can make a larger impact.

Print can be a more impactful experience because of its physicality. I’ve found that print volume may have decreased over time, but it is used more strategically than ever before, too.

Strategically print is going away and being replaced by a digital footprint.

Print should be more recognized as a strong complement to digital design. But often it’s ignored due to the cost of printing, paper and mailing.

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