Hello everyone! I’m Katherine and I’m a digital marketer who somehow morphed into a giant print geek. It all started a few months ago when I landed a job at a commercial printing company. At first I felt a strong sense of irony. I considered print advertising a waste of time and money in light of the inexpensive internet alternatives. But the prospect of blogging about print design seemed appealing to me as an amateur graphic artist. I figured I’d be able to learn a bit more about my favorite hobby (Photoshop), but I didn’t know where to begin. Where could I find people talking about print on the web?
Out of desperation, I turned to a random Twitter search of print related keywords. I noticed several tweets with the hashtag #printchat, and knew I’d hit a breakthrough. I joined the weekly Twitter chat right away as well as the Print Production Professionals LinkedIn group. At first I felt a little out of place; the technical jargon seemed especially intimidating. For example, bulk business card printing did not come to mind when I heard the term “gang run.” On the streets of LA, saying that phrase out loud just might get you shot in some neighborhoods. Gradually I got used to the terminology, but I still felt like an outsider in my growing network of printers.
That is until I held my first real business card in my hands. As I caressed the 14pt glossy cardstock, my place in the company instantly felt official, secure, and permanent. After all, my job title appeared before me in ink. I updated my employment status everywhere online as soon as I got hired, but my business card represented a new level of commitment to me. I took the cards as a sign that my boss believed in me enough to invest in my presence.
I quickly snapped a picture of my sexy new cards, and shared the image on my Facebook page. Now when I changed my job title on that site, only a few of my friends noticed. This time the post got an immediate, positive reaction. My friends seemed to see the card the same way I did, as a kind of important career milestone. That’s when I finally understood the power of print and why it matters now more than ever.
The business cards changed my perspective, and I slowly realized I’d been into print long before I learned about substrates. Growing up I plastered my room with posters of my favorite bands and collected skateboarding stickers. I loved leafing through toy catalogs until I graduated to fashion in my teens. I spent hours cutting up magazines to make my own collages. I always saved my concert tickets, and carried them around in my wallet. I just never associated that cool stuff with…printing.
Now that I know better, I’m on a mission; as the resident print geek at PrintMediaCentr, I’m here to share my love of all things CMYK with the world. Since we’re past the introductory (prepress) hurdles, I hope you’ll stick around for my future posts. Make sure you don’t miss any of the geeky action—sign up for PMC’s free monthly newsletter to stay in synch with the Printerverse!
Katherine serves as the Online Marketing Director at PrintFirm.com. She fell into online marketing in 2010, and built her career around this dynamic field. She earned her B.A. in Political Science from California State University, Northridge (Summa). When she’s not writing, Katherine enjoys photography, skateboarding, graphic design, and chasing her dog around with her husband.
Connect with Katherine on Facebook G+ and LinkedIn – and follow @PrintFirm on Twitter
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