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April 2005
FEATURE
For print and paper professionals, the early 21st century (all five years of it) has been consumed with a nagging question: Is print communication best described as a winner — or a survivor — or a victim — of the broad transformations taking place in the economy, in technology, in society, in media and in marketing? The answer, our annual print survey suggests, is a resounding "yes."

Yes, print is a winner. The creative professional's affirmation of the power and effectiveness of print is deep and sincere, and, arguably, that is the single most important point to take away from this year's survey. Along those lines, today's data reveal that, for the first time ever in our 42 years of conducting this survey, the number of graphic design professionals who buy printing and specify paper both exceed 90%. Chew on that for a moment. And yes, print is a survivor. New technologies, new processes, new practices and new papers are helping to keep print relevant in ways that might not have been foreseen a few short years ago. And yes, let's be honest. Certain aspects of print are starting to look like bloody victims of the internet economy. Think email. Think e-directories. Think eBay. Some print niches and some commercial printers have reached the "change or die" stage.

All in all, the results of this early June survey of 1,000 readers present a heady brew of facts, figures and commentary, complex and contradictory. But it all comes down to this: Print retains its magical ability to transform, persuade and communicate, even while it is transforming itself to meet the needs of a changing marketplace.

Here are six main themes that emerge from the numbers
and the fulsome comments of our survey respondents.
  1. Print Touches
    In an age of cool, ephemeral, remote communications, print is warm and real. Its classic strengths and values — permanence, tangibility, sensuality, physicality — are understood to deeply touch and connect with the humanity that we share. Print works on an emotional level as well as a practical one (given its portability and convenience), and, as such, remains transcendently powerful. Indeed, many designers say that the cacophony of our digital age is actually making the well-designed, well-specified and well-printed piece ever more persuasive and valuable. With the "paperless society" relegated to urban myth, designers expect the mix of print in their professional and personal lives to remain stable and important, and they express a special relationship with paper and materials as the fundamental building blocks of the quality print experience.
  2. Print Is the One
    As a practical matter, for graphic design professionals, print is still the dominant way that graphic design professionals earn a living and disseminate a client's message. As noted above, more than 90% work on print projects, more than 90% buy printing, and 90% specify paper. Brochures, collateral, sales promotion and the like are perceived as the number one sales opportunity and conceptually-related disciplines — point-of-purchase and package design — continue to remain strong sources of real projects. In terms of project frequency, web design, though important and once again on the rise after a lull, remains a distant third.
  3. Print Is Evolving
    Classic strengths notwithstanding, the world changes. Graphics people understand that print is under pressure and must evolve along the entire process from "design to delivery" to remain relevant, timely and cost-effective. Designers recognize and applaud the changes underway, most notably new print-related and software-driven digital technologies that speed workflow, proofing, output, distribution and repurposing of content. Many of these developments make print and prepress easier, faster, more accessible, more integrated, more efficient and more productive. A parallel development is the simplification of paper grades and selection by major mills, as well as the introduction of more choice in digitally-optimized papers, and the general speed and ease from "spec to delivery."
  4. Digital Print Has Tipped
    A compelling example of this evolution is the digital printing phenomenon — call it "on demand printing," or "short-run printing" or "variable data printing" or "DI printing" or what-have-you. The reason that option is catching on is simple: It responds to new realities that designers and printers face — the need for quick turnaround, precise print runs, customization of message and more targeted marketing. Designers are buying this option more often and more consistently than ever, and are happier with the results, even if they are still somewhat skeptical of color accuracy claims. Last year, our survey results suggested that digital printing was at the proverbial "tipping point." This year's data suggest that the digital approach has most definitely tipped.
  5. Great Expectations
    Clients. Can't live with them, can't eat without them. Creative professionals continue to embrace traditional notions of quality in printing and paper with even more enthusiasm than the earlier years of this decade. But the battle lines between quality and commoditization are sharpening, largely because clients know just enough — about digital design and workflow, about paper and print options, and about the internet as a marketing tool — to be dangerous. That is to say, they know just enough to expect print projects to be fast, cheap and instantly gratifying. As the decade unfolds, the faultline between quality and commodity will remains the watershed issue for every aspect of the visual arts, including print products and services. This is not a graphic design issue alone. Digital technology is a wonder in many ways, but it is creating severe dislocations in goods and services and (to be more philosophical than is probably appropriate in a trade magazine) the quality of life.
  6. Education And Information
    Ignorance, inertia, superficiality and laziness. Put bluntly, thoughtful designers understand that these are enemies of the quality print experience. As the number of creatives responsible for print production and print buying rises sharply, this poses a new challenge for schools, mills, manufacturers, associations, conference organizers and industry publications. To keep print truly relevant, there must be more education and information — for the current generation of designers who need to tap new methods for efficient, effective and targeted print; for the new generation of designers who are not classically trained and know more about computer input than about materials and output; for economically-pressed clients under pressure to demand fast and cheap; and now more than ever, for corporate management and the broader public, who need to be reminded of the power of print.
The remainder of the report discusses some of the statistical results of this year's survey, and then presents select comments on topics of interest.

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