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DIGITAL PRINT
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personal service, same-day printing, a wide
choice of substrates, design, fulfilment etc.,
and expand their horizons beyond simple
production.
Printing will remain at the heart of
any offering, but printers must become
more like project managers, shepherding
different aspects of the communication
chain to achieve the result the customer
wants and delivering a measurable return
on investment. The focus on reducing
overheads in the end-to-end supply chain
has already transformed how books are
printed and distributed; digital printing is
starting to eat into packaging for the same
reason. It is not the cost of producing an
individual carton or label that is important,
but the overall cost including the cost of
wasted materials and time in the supply
chain.
Printing companies that can do this
and become engaged with their customers
and work together to find solutions that
embrace print at some level can look
forward to the future with confidence.
...continued
Following the success of last year’s
promotion, the Pilot Pen Company
is once again inviting consumers
to put pen to paper in its summer
postcard competition. Part of the
company's #HappyWriting initiative,
#PilotPostcard2015 combines online
and offline activity with a top prize of
a three-night Forest Holiday for four
people worth £800. It runs from July
20 to September 1 and all entries must
feature hand-written content.
Stuart Barker, marketing manager
for Pilot, said: “We first launched this
competition last summer, adding a
new dynamic to our usual click-and-
enter mechanics. Shared via our social
channels, the competition required
people to write and send a postcard
to Pilot sharing their favourite summer
memories. The response was absolutely
fantastic. We didn’t just get postcards,
we got some really creative entries;
cards covered with children’s drawings
and poetry about their best summer
moments. We decided then and there
that we’d repeat the initiative in 2015.”
Information is easier to understand and retain if read on the printed
page rather than in digital form, new research shows.
In a survey commissioned by Two Sides, a global initiative to promote the
sustainability and attractiveness of print and paper, 84% of 500 UK consumers
questioned said they understood, retained or used information read on paper much
better than information received on a digital device; 83% stated a clear preference
for printed media when reading about more complex topics.
Four out of five people (79%) said that when given the choice they preferred to
read on paper. The same number said they found printed media more relaxing.
In contrast, 60% of mobile/smartphone users, including 71% of 18-24 year olds,
said they were concerned about the effect of digital devices on their health.
Two Sides director Martyn Eustace said: “The results of the UK survey have
lessons for all those who choose the way in which information is distributed,
particularly for advertisers, marketers and educators. While on-screen reading
occupies an increasing amount of consumer time, people’s preferences are still for a
physical reading experience, which they believe to be a ‘safe’ medium that is more
informative, less distracting and less harmful to their health.”
Two Sides, which was set up to promote the sustainability and attractiveness of
print and paper, has produced a series of 11 fact sheets designed to dispel what it
sees as the myths and misconceptions surrounding the sustainability of paper versus
digital communications. They include:
n
Electronic communication
n
“Go Green-Go Paperless” messages are misleading
n
Harvesting trees through sustainable forestry
n
Paper is one of the few truly sustainable products
n
Paper is one of the most recycled products
n
Paper production supports sustainable forest management
n
Paper’s carbon footprint is not as high as you think
n
Print and paper play a key role in learning and literacy
n
The paper industry uses a lot of renewable energy
n
Why challenge anti-paper environmental marketing claims?
n
Wood-based paper and non-wood based paper.
Four out of five prefer paper
Picon chairman
Robert Flather, Managing Director
of Kolbus UK, has been elected as
Chairman of Picon. He succeeds Bob
Usher, Managing Director of Apex Digital
Graphics, who has completed his two-
year term leading the Council of the UK
association of print industry manufacturers
and suppliers.
Diary Date
The power of print
November 3, 2015 • Stationers’ Hall, London
Two Sides and Print Power have teamed up with the BPIF and
The Stationers’ Livery Company to deliver a seminar on the
Power of Print. The event will take place on November 3 in the
historic surroundings of Stationers’ Hall, London. Industry and
marketing experts will provide an overview of the print industry
and share first-hand experiences illustrating how print is still a
unique, powerful and effective channel of communication.
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Coke brings
personalisation
to labelling
