Print isn't dead, it's just evolving

Even as a worker in the digital age, it’s highly likely you still rely on your printer.

The ‘paperless office’ was once thought to be the future of business with digital transformation coming into place in many businesses, but it’s clear that print is showing no signs of dying; it’s simply evolving, and becoming far more useful for us all, as a result.

Why print isn’t on its last legs

There's a lot of information and statistics to suggest that the average age of people working in the printing industry is mid-late 40s. With that in mind, you’d be forgiven for thinking that young incumbents may struggle to see the value in continuing the business of their peers.

There’s also no doubting that the stacks of paper we’ve for many years contended with on our desks are reducing. This is due to smartphones, laptops and cloud storage getting smarter and more accessible.

But it doesn’t mean print is dead!

Technological innovation is transforming the way we’re working, but there are times when you simply can’t swap a print job for something digital.

Think about the following scenarios:

• When you need to promote a big corporate event, will you solely turn to email marketing to create the biggest impact?
• At Christmas, will you send text messages instead of tangible gifts to partners and customers?
• If an important report needs to be shared at a meeting will you always reach for the projector or assume everyone will bring it with them on their laptops?

The above are just a few scenarios where turning to printed documents and correspondence remains highly beneficial to the business and its employees.

Millennials are driving innovation

The print industry is a smart career choice, and that means more millennials are entering the sector than ever before. This is helping drive innovation thanks to their enthusiasm and digitally-inspired ideas that are forcing print to evolve.

The combination of the more experienced minds in the industry and those just entering it is resulting in a focus on how print can benefit digital transformation. New devices, processes and software applications are constantly being launched, featuring tools that help businesses become more security conscious, efficient and environmentally friendly.

The leaders in the industry may well be starting to retire, but their replacements are pushing print into the next phase of its life by giving it a vital role in the digital transformation strategy for businesses of all sizes.

Boring? No - print is exciting!

Printing gets a bad wrap sometimes. It can be viewed as a legacy of the office and one which offers no excitement when compared to the mobile devices that now power our lives.

In reality, print is far from boring. The printing industry is huge, and with so many clever minds occupying it, we’re seeing a constant stream of innovation that’s designed to make our working lives more enjoyable, efficient and productive.

It isn’t just about ink cartridges, paper jams and wasteful printing; print is playing a key role in digital transformation. Far from dying, it’s becoming more useful, thanks to the fact we’re now being encouraged to only print what we really need to.