Print Buying Direct

The markets tomorrow – What does the future hold for printing? – Part 1 – 22nd June 2009

The future of printing

Remember what it was like in 1989? Over the last few decades print products have changed with more colours, there are more targeted mailings as individual transactions result in coupons, itemised bills and statements and transpromo activity. More secondary packaging is on supermarket shelves. Signage has exploded, with vehicle graphics and building wraps widespread, exhibitions are littered with suspended large format signs. Posters are targeted to local stores and offers rather than countrywide. In 2009, the printing world is different from 1999 and it will be different again in ten years, because the world will be different.
Paper and ink will look the same but will be manufacturers using less energy and with sustainable materials. Many ink sets will have petroleum distillate components replaced with sustainably sourced vegetable oil including UV cured inks and coating. There will be more recycled paper and the great majority will be from well managed sources with the chain of custody proven by externally accredited bodies such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). Emerging quality standards such as ISO 12647 will help to remove the need for proofing with colour managed remote proofing and 3D visualisations allowing faster turnaround and approval of jobs. Many printers will provide intuitive web to print tools that yield press ready files. Quality will be assured through closed loop feedback – the norm on all new presses, digital and conventional. Reporting on the consistency of the job through the run will be a standard requirement as part of the specification, providing guarantees that the job has been produced to the agreed standard.
There will be more digital printing with personalisation and versioning more widespread in promotional print and packaging. High speed, high quality inkjet presses, web and sheetfed, will be an alternative to B2 and B1 offset in terms of quality, productivity and cost. There will be more functionally in print products, using smart glyphs and electronics being common in ten years.
Today print is coming to terms with the Internet. Since Gutenberg printed his Bibles print has not had a real competitive media but the Internet can do much of what print can. It provides a permanent record, it helps to promote, educate and entertain and with online banking it allows transaction. Much is at the expense of previously printed catalogues, directories, cheques, classified newspaper and magazine advertising, letterheads – where print volumes have dropped. As printers we can moan and bewail the fact that there are alternatives but there is no pint in ignoring fact. As volume is declining many printers are broadening their activities to replace lost revenue streams. In future there will be further changes, driven by technology advances, by changing consumer preferences and the environment.

To be continued…

Order your Appointment Cards online at Print Buying Direct – prices from £13.50 for 100 cards printed in full colour. At print buying direct we are market leaders in the printing of appointment cards and can produce them for doctors, hairdressers, dentists, physio, beauty salons, nail technicians, garages, massage therapists – for anything really. Just visit our Appointment Cards web page for more information.

Don’t forget we’re still running our Letterheads promotion – 2000 full colour letterheads (headed paper) for £125 delivered! We’ve been producing letterheads since 1991 for hundreds of customs as diverse as Bentley and Royal Mail.

See Part 12 of this blog on Print finishing, See also our Blog on Spot UV Varnishing

Print Buying Direct and School Prospectus Made Easy are both brands of parent company – The Printing House Ltd of Crewe, Cheshire, UK. Keep visiting both websites for details of our latest offers and promotions. For more information School Prospectus including School Prospectus Design or School Prospectus Printing (we also specialise in college prospectus) see our www.schoolprospectus.info website

Have a look at our Newsletters webpage for help and assistance with writing and designing your newsletter. It deals with, company newsletters, college newsletters, school newsletters and employee newsletters in particluar. Our blog often focuses on newsletters and we have a page which specifically helps with newsletters as a marketing tool.

TOP TIP: Add that feel of quality to your company brochure by first applying Matt Lamination then a Spot UV Varnish. The UV Varnishing actually ‘lifts’ your pictures to give them a glossy impact.

Our Digital Brochures (turn page technology) are really taking off now – get your brochure put online from only £15 per page.

Tags: appointment cards, digital printing, FSC, Full Colour Letterheads, PEFC, personalisation, Poster Printing, print, printers, printing, recycled paper, spot UV varnishing

This entry was posted on Monday, June 22nd, 2009 at 7:44 am and is filed under Banners, Business Stationery, Calendars, Christmas Cards, Leaflets and Brochures, News, Newsletters, Postcards. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.