There are many sides to the issues facing print

 

Global organisation Two Sides has grown out of a worldwide trend to restore print to its previously respected role in society. Let me say from the outset that I think their aims and those of similar groups around the world are commendable. I hope they succeed in revitalising print.

However, I don’t think printing can be restored to its previous lofty status without a deep analysis of why it has declined so much over recent years.

Many argue that the pressure of new technologies is a significant factor in the demise of print. This would certainly be the case in markets such as the USA and Western Europe where the internet on mobile devices is a major source of graphic communication. The relentless march of technology is not finished by any measure and in coming years new technologies will put even greater pressure on print. This will be exacerbated because the cost of new technology doesn’t actually increase. It tends to stay the same price but get more powerful.

The environmental debate in regard to electronic media is a non-event mostly because it’s too hard for the average person to think about. As new technology filters into the developing world, that growth region for print may also have a dark future.

Another argument explaining the decline in printing is that during the 2008 GFC, large organisations looked critically at the amount of print they used and generally found they were just buying too much of it. As well as cutting back on campaigns, organisations cut back on the volume of individual runs. But the dramatic drop in the amount of printing in the US and Europe is far greater than the extent of the economic downturn so there has to be other factors involved in the decline of print.

Then of course there is the ubiquitous environmental issue: print equals trees. What about the trees? The issue of managed forestry, plantations and the FSC-PEFC fight makes this whole area so difficult for the average paper buyer/publisher/printer to understand. When organisations try to explain the good about industrial forestry (and there is good), the eyes of the public glaze over. It is made especially difficult when environmental groups just want trees left alone. I think only a handful of people around the world truly understand the complexities of forestry and the environment. Forestry is a sector tied up in national, international and social politics. It is a complex policy arena full of vested interests and hidden agendas.

The various campaigns around the world, and now Two Sides, are doing a great job in promoting printing. Now I would love to see these organisations tell the story of printing. At the moment, they rely mostly on lists of facts and short bullet points that are quick to digest. Before you know it they’ll have a DVD or a website, post videos on YouTube, and use Twitter and Facebook and then an app for iPad and Androids.

A few years ago, the New Zealand industry celebrated the 150 years of printing in that country with a beautifully printed and bound book, now there’s a good idea. No wonder they won the World Cup (that hurt to say).

Phillip Lawrence is a consultant and speaker who specialises in print and the environment

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